Crystal Teardrops
by MitsukiJunko
Summary: Everything was fine until one fated day. For Sakuno? New Discoveries? New School? New Life? And A What... ? What is Ryoma's going to find out? *Minor crossovers included.*
1. Turning a New Leaf

**Hi there! This is my new fic of RyoSaku. I am actually making this together with the sequel of my Absolute Kiss entitled 'Absolute Couple.' If you have time after reading this, feel free to read the first chapter of the sequel or the first story if you haven't read the first arc. Just your FREE time is all I am asking. Thank you very much. And enjoy the first chapter of Crystal Teardrops. ^_^**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Prince of Tennis. Completely zero…**

* * *

**Chapter 1: Turning a New Leaf**

**Chapter Summary: Everything was supposed to be okay until THEY returned home seeing her grandmother with a worrisome look.**

* * *

"Her tears drop as clear as crystal."

~MitsukiJunko

* * *

Three years had passed but everything didn't change much. Just their age, their year level and their personalities… well, almost. He was still him only that he became more popular. He already won two grand slams these past years, the Australian and the French Open. He was slowly approaching his dream to reach number one grand slam achiever by simply winning the four tournaments in a year. His senpais were on their third year in Junior High. Same captain and same regulars, there were few non-regulars in the club as well and the freshmen in Junior High were assisting them.

Just like him, she was still the same as well. Her natural characteristics haven't changed much. Her best friend was loud as always, her figure changed a bit and to everyone's surprise, she was dating a certain guy who had a two-year experience of tennis. She herself developed a figure. It was a bit embarrassed for her because she was popular too… from the upperclassmen of Seishun High.

She was walking in the hallway as she was blocked by a hand on the wall in front of her.

"Yo! Sakuno-chan, how do you do?"

She was startled when a boy with bright yellow eyes and black hair suddenly appeared in front of her but she regained herself, "P-please, Kuga-kun. Let me through."

"Not until you agreed to go out with me." the black haired boy said to her.

"Y-you know my answer to that. I can't go out with you." Sakuno said trying to get away from him.

Kuga placed another hand on her side. She was finally covered by him, "Why, Sakuno-chan? Is it because of Echizen guy?"

She blushed when she heard his name, "S-stop it, Kuga-kun."

"Jin! My name is Jin. Call me that."

She was beginning to get nervous when she noticed that Jin was leaning closer to her, "L-let go… "

"Hey!"

The two looked at the person who spoke and was shocked at the same time. Sakuno was the first one to react.

"R-ryoma-kun." she said as she tried to free herself from Jin. When she finally freed herself, she ran to Ryoma's side.

"Well, well, the knight in shining armor came to save the damsel in distress." Jin mockingly said to him.

Ryoma didn't say anything but glared straight at the second year junior high student. When Jin noticed that the tennis prodigy wouldn't say a single word, he sighed big and said, "you are boring, I lost interest of picking up a fight."

Silence could be heard still as the tense was getting higher and awkward to Sakuno's view.

"You're no fun," Jin said and he looked at her, "I'll see you again Sakuno-chan. It seems that our date will be postponed on some other time."

The boy left afterwards. Sakuno sighed big after that. She noticed that Ryoma began to walk away.

"T-thank you for saving me, R-ryoma-kun." She bowed when she said that.

Ryoma stopped hallway and said, "I didn't do anything."

She rose up when she heard him say that. She watched the boy walking away from her and whispered, "I want to say thank you to you, still."

* * *

**Few Days Later:**

"Are you going to see the practice today, Sakuno-chan?" Tomoka asked the obvious but only to be shocked when she shook her head.

"W-wow! That's news to me. But why?" Tomoka wondered.

"I-I will visit my parents today." Sakuno answered her question.

Tomoka covered her mouth when she heard that, "Oh! Is that the time of the year already?"

"Y-yeah," She nodded, "I just went here to tell our sensei-tachi's permission. I'll go right away. I have a long ride to go."

"I see, so you are not going to attend classes for three days, aren't you?"

"Seems like it. Since obaa-chan couldn't come with me, she asked me to see her today before I leave," she said, "she even gave me directions on how to get there, even though I knew the place already."

"Well, you will definitely need that, just in case."

"A-and what do you mean by that?"

"Nothing… " she whistled and looked away from her.

"Tomoka-chan… " she sighed after, "Well, I-I need to go now. I'll see you on Monday since we don't have classes the day before it." She was supposed to go back on Saturday night since there were no classes at that time and classes were only half day on Saturday, they were to be met on Monday instead.

"Hai! Be careful then." She waved at her as she did as well.

After asking permission from her sensei, she went to see her grandmother. She didn't take long and left the court. She didn't know that there was a certain cat-like eyes were observing her every move before she completely left the area.

**xxx**

It was already afternoon when she reached her destination. She bought flowers on her way and offered them to her parents;

"I didn't lose my way here, thank you for guiding me." she smiled fondly at her parent's grave. She had blurred memories of her parents according to her grandmother's stories of them.

'You have the same features of your mother and the clumsiness of your stupid father.'

She remembered her grandmother saying those words to her, "to think that I got your clumsiness, Otou-san… " she giggled and then her smiling face turned to serious and frowned afterwards;

"I miss you… "

She stayed there for a long time before deciding to leave the area. She went to the town to buy some fruits and vegetables.

"Oji-san and Obaa-san will be happy to see me this year." She said excitedly.

Her next destination was to a certain village which was close from the cemetery. They usually visit a certain old couple there that they met years ago and offered a shelter whenever they planned to visit her parent's tomb. The old couple doesn't have a child of their own so they considered Sakuno as their own. She reached her destination seeing the old lady cleaning her backyard.

"Obaa-san!" she called the old lady. The old lady looked at her and felt delighted when she saw her.

"Sakuno-chan, my, you're here," she looked around, "Where's your grandmother?"

Sakuno became sad as she answered the old lady's question, "She won't be coming this year, I mean the competition is approaching so she can't come."

"I see. Don't worry; I'll give her our specialties when you return there. It will be your favorite too, I know." The old lady said to her.

"R-really Obaa-san, thanks a lot," she knew what she was talking about. The old lady was good at making strawberry pie and jam and she will be taking some of her specialties when she gets home, "W-where's Oji-san?"

"He's inside probably watching his favorite comedy show. Let's go inside." She said.

"Hai!" she eagerly replied. She was excited to stay the night there with the old couple. After some depressing thoughts, her mind and her heart would be rest assured for the whole day.

* * *

**Sunday morning:**

The old couple took her to a bus station. She told them that she could take care of herself but they insisted. The bus station would take her to the nearest train station and from there she had to ride off to get to the city center and there she will ride another train for her to get home. It was really a long ride for her and she realized that just now when she travelled alone for the first time.

"Oji-san, Obaa-san, please take care of yourselves." Sakuno reminded them.

"You don't have to remind us dear, we are strong." The old man said showing his biceps to her.

"Stop that dear, you are freaking our little Sakuno here." the old lady complained about his husband's actions.

Sakuno giggled as they fought casually. They were such a great couple it was such a sad thing that they hadn't blessed a child, "I should go… t-thank you for everything." She bowed to them as respect.

The old lady hugged her, "take care and be careful on your way."

Sakuno responded on her hugged, "Hai," she hugged the old man afterwards.

"Be sure to bring your grandmother next year okay." He said.

Sakuno nodded once again. She rode the bus station. It took an hour for her to reach the train station. She rode the expressway so that there would be no stop-over stations and she would reach her destination hastily. When she reached the city center, she felt hungry as she noticed that it was late for breakfast and a bit early for lunch. She decided to have her 'brunch' instead. After eating, she decided to continue her journey home. She arrived at the train station exactly at 12 noon. She sweat dropped to see a lot of people and not only that, when the train arrived, she saw a bunch of people who were already inside the moving vehicle. _What a perfect timing for rush hour!_ She thought while shaking her head.

"B-better to wait for the next train… " she decided as she walked backwards but it was too late. The moment the door opened, the people from her back pushed her forward. She panicked;

"W-wait, I-I'm not-" she couldn't continue her words as she was kept dragging along by the sea of people into the train. If she won't be able to keep up, she would lose her balance.

_W-what to do? What should I do? _She thought as she was trying to reach for something. She flinched when someone grabbed her hand from the midair and pulled her closer. It was an instant move that she was already at the other side of the train, almost leaning at the door. Her eyes were closed all the time so she didn't know who grabbed her; she flinched when her savior talked;

"You are definitely prone to dangerous things, aren't' you?"

She opened her eyes right away when she heard that voice. _I-I know this voice… m-masaka?... _ she looked up only to be surprised to see who it was;

"R-ryoma-kun." she blushed when she recognize him. She blushed even more when she realized their position.

Her back was leaning almost at the door, while Ryoma was supporting her from it. Both of his hands were on the door that she was leaning, closer to his body.

Not long ago, the train stopped at the next station. There was another sea of people tried to enter the train. She began to move backwards to allocate some space. She panicked when the boy wrapped his left arm to her shoulders as he drawn her closer to his;

"Don't lean on the door or you might open it accidentally."

Sakuno was tensed already. She could hear her heart beating so fast. She noticed that Ryoma was drawing her closer to him like he was treating her like a fragile glass that when she was touched by someone she would broke easily.

Finally, they arrived at their destination. He grabbed her from the crowd. Once they got out, Sakuno caught her breath as she placed her hands to her knees while still holding her belongings.

"What are you doing there anyway?"

She was a bit surprise when the boy talked, "I-I went somewhere… "

"Where?"

"T-to my parents'… "

Ryoma looked at her curiously. _What is she talking about?_ The only thing he knew about her family was his coach, her grandmother. So he didn't know about her parents, "that's why you were not attending school these days… "

She looked at him surprisingly. So, he noticed her disappearance at school. That made her a little happy. She looked up and fondly said, "I go to this place t-that I'll never forget to visit at all cost… n-no matter where I am."

He really had no idea what she was talking about. But he was staring at her for a long time. There was something different from her as he watched the girl. But he couldn't name it. He flinched a little when the girl talked;

"T-that reminds me, w-what are you doing there, Ryoma-kun?"

The boy just shrugged and said showing a plastic bag, "buying tennis balls."

"I see," she replied and then she remembered something, "I-I totally forgot! I need to go shopping before I go back."

Ryoma watched the girl panic. The girl continued to talk, "T-thank you for saving me today, Ryoma-kun. I-I need to go now. S-see you tomorrow at school." She bowed in front of him as she attempted to run when the boy made her stop by his words;

"I'll go with you."

"E-eh?" she turned around to face him, reassuring if she heard him right.

"Shopping." He said as he walked ahead of her.

"A-are you sure?" she still couldn't believe his words, "Y-you might get bored."

Ryoma nodded, "I am bored anyway."

She pouted on his words but it was such an opportunity to be with him. She liked the idea that she will be with him for a while. She ran to catch up to him and headed to a supermarket.

**xxx**

Just as she expected, Ryoma got bored in their shopping galore. She saw him yawn for several times as he volunteered to push the cart that they used for shopping. After she paid all of the goods that she bought, he also volunteered to carry the heavy bags and the light bags were hers.

_Ryoma-kun is really nice. He never showed it in public but he has his ways of doing it. It is so good to know him despite his cocky expressions. _She thought as they were walking home together. _I think I can slowly gain his friendship bit by bit. This is my starting point to get closer to him. _She decided as she was beginning to build courage to get friendlier to Ryoma. She would change for the sake of the person she likes.

"Hey… "

She startled when Ryoma talked. She snapped out from her reverie as she looked at the curious tennis prodigy.

"What's with that look?" he asked her but the girl just blushed, "do you have guests?"

"Eh?' Sakuno wondered. Ryoma pointed forward and she realized that they were almost home. She also noticed a black car which was parking near their backyard, "N-no, probably a guest from our neighbors."

"Un." He simply replied. When they were at the front door, he gave the bags to her.

"W-would like to come in first?" Sakuno attempted to invite him in, "O-obaa-chan will be pleased to see you."

"Iie," Ryoma shook his head to her dismay, "Just tell her hi for me."

"I-I see, t-thank you again." Sakuno said. Ryoma walked away after nodding at her, "S-see you tomorrow."

Ryoma just raised his right hand as confirmation. When he was out of sight she went inside;

_So much for my determination, huh?_ She thought as she opened the door;

"I-I'm home." The first thing she said when she entered the house only to be startled to see a group of people wearing black suit. She got nervous the moment she saw them. Did she enter a wrong house? Impossible, she was clumsy, of course but she was not that stupid to have entered a wrong house. She felt relieved when she saw her grandmother sitting at the dining table but her relief turned to suspicion and tension when her grandmother was looking down with her hands intertwined and were leaning on her forehead. Across the dining room, there was a sophisticated woman sitting just in front of her grandmother. The woman looked at her direction when she heard her talk;

"My, my. Is this Sakuno?" the woman stood up and walked to her, she was shocked when the woman lifted her chin with the fan she was holding. She felt an uneasiness aura the moment their eyes met. It was added when the woman talked coldly towards her, "You are enough but you need a major transformation."

She couldn't understand what the woman was saying she broke free from her as she walked towards her grandmother, "O-obaa-chan, w-what is happening? W-who is she?" she was beginning to tremble. She felt that something wrong was about to happen.

Sumire looked up to her with a worried look in her eyes, like she just cried moments ago before she arrived. Her grandmother said, "Sakuno, this is Reina Kitazawa, the wife of the influential and elite ambassador Reinja Kitazawa of Kitazawa group of companies."

Sakuno was shocked to learn the name. She noticed earlier that the woman was somewhat familiar and she confirmed it. This lady in front of them was the second richest person in Japan followed by their Prime minister. But what is she doing there… in their house. She was definitely confused. Her questions were answered when her grandmother continued talking that made her speechless;

"She is going to be your new mother."

* * *

**There you have it, the first chapter of my new fic. How did you find it?** **I hope I am not losing my characters here. I'll try if this one works since I have lots of idea invading my mind. I will make slight crossovers in this fic… So I'll tell you ahead. Anyway, about the appearance of Jin Kuga here was just a cameo. I hope you won't mind that. (I don't hate Jin Kuga so please don't hate me... onegai...)The crossover characters will at a later chapter. The Introduction of Reina and Reinja Kitazawa were for a start (I got Reinja's name from our local funny komiks and one of the minor characters from a certain story there, The Adeniss X. Reina was just a random name that came to my mind.) The surname was for a random pick as well that I searched via internet. And everything that I am going to write here were just my imaginations, so nothing is real not even their profile.**

**I don't own Kamichama Karin's Jin Kuga and Adeniss X's Reinja. Completely zero. I don't claim both of them.**

**So please stay tuned, Reviews are much appreciated by me. Reviews were depending on how many chapters that I am going to make. Arigatou guzaimasu! **

**Next Chapter: Cruel Reality **


	2. A Cruel Reality

**Hi there! I was so pleased about your opinions I received from the first chapter. Thank you very much for that. This is the second chapter… please enjoy.**

**I know the drawing is not related to the story... I am just sharing one of my hobbies... If you know what I mean... ^_^**

**animecouplelover - sorry for the long wait... chapter two is up now... you will know what will happen. I hope you'll like it. (fingers crossed)**

**music4life1791 - thank you that you like this story. I am pleased that you like the title as well. Chapter three of absolute couple will be posted on Tuesday some time in the morning. I hope you like this one... ^_^**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Prince of Tennis. Just my imaginations are.**

* * *

**Chapter 2: A Cruel Reality**

**Chapter Summary: The reality sure was cruel when she heard her fate that she couldn't escape. Find out what was going to happen when she was forced to… **

* * *

"_Reality can be so cruel sometimes."_

_~MitsukiJunko_

* * *

"She is going to be your new mother."

Sakuno stared at her grandmother for a long time. Did she hear her right? This woman in front of them is going to be her new mother? She must be dreaming?

"O-Obaa-chan, please stop joking. That's not funny." She shook her grandmother's shoulder.

Sumire stared at her granddaughter's eyes and said, "Do you think that I would joke to you something like this?"

"S-Sonna," Sakuno walked a few steps backwards, "I-I won't believe you. How can I have a new mother? A-and K-Kitazawa-san here is such an important person in our country. W-why would she adopt me?"

"Good Question, Sakuno," Reina interrupted in their conversation, "To put it bluntly, I, together with my husband were your parents best of friends. We've known each other for such a long time."

Sakuno was shocked of that revelation. She didn't know about this. She looked at her grandmother but Sumire just looked away, avoiding eye contacts to her. Reina somewhat knew what was she thinking and continued;

"I know that you will be shocked when you discovered that your parents have friends like us who are influential. You were almost kidnapped when you were still a baby thinking that you were OURS by the kidnappers. You didn't know us because your parents told us to keep it a secret. They did that to protect you. They knew that being acquaintance with us would only put you in danger."

She remained silent as she waited for her next words. She couldn't get the logic of being adopted in her words. So her life was not easy when she was little. Everything was different as she started to discover this side of her life that she didn't know.

"I understand them because I had a daughter," The lady looked upset when she mentioned her daughter.

_D-Daughter?_ She thought. The lady has a daughter? So why would she wanted to adopt her? She didn't understand anything. Sumire talked this time.

"Sakuno, your parents owned a lot from the Kitazawa household. Reina-san here helped your parents a lot. They were the reason that you came back safely to us when you were almost kidnapped." Sumire looked at the Lady in front of her. Reina nodded signaling her to continue speaking;

"But a fate turned everything upside down. Their daughter who was about your age at that time was shot by an ambush when she was at your parent's custody. You mother was shot critically as well and your father was worried for the both of them," Sumire stopped as if it was difficult for her to remember the past, "Your father took your mother and the baby to the hospital. Reina-san and Reinja-kun rushed to the hospital but it was too late. The baby died five minutes ago because of the shot that was difficult for a baby to endure. Reina blamed your father for broking his promise that her baby would be safe in their hands. Your father didn't do anything but to take all the blame from her."

Sakuno started to cry at that time as she was absorbing what was her grandmother was saying. She didn't realize that she was talking in the past when she mentioned about her daughter earlier. Her grandmother continued to talk;

"And then there was your mother, still in critical condition. Reinja-kun who was furious about the loss of their baby made a deal to your father."

"W-what deal?" she was becoming nervous. She had the feeling that she wouldn't like what was going to discover next.

"Reinja-kun talked to your father. He said that if he's going to save your mother he had to give up something that was so precious to him." Sumire couldn't look at her. Reina was still standing at her position waiting for her to continue her next words;

"He was asking for you… that time. They would save your mother if they give you in exchange. Your father didn't know what to do that time. That's when I got to the hospital and brought you along and heard everything. Reinja-kun suggested that they would take you when you turn 16 so that we could stay with you for that long," Sumire looked down as she continued, "In the end, your father agreed for the sake of your mother's life. He promised that he wiould give you to them when you turn 16 and made a contract."

"Do you think that we deserve you now?" Reina interrupted showing the contract that was made 15 years ago. Their eyes dilated as they saw how legal the papers were.

"B-but I haven't turned 16 yet… " she tried to protest thinking that she would change her mind.

"That's my point," Reina approached her, "You will be in our custody these following months so that you will know the etiquettes and manners that you have to possess."

"W-what are you talking about? I-I don't understand all of this?" Sakuno said.

"Remember that you are going to live with us. And you are perfectly aware who we are. We are going to adopt you to become our real daughter," Reina said as she walked through the house and touched whichever she reached, "You have to learn all these things as you will become our heiress."

Sumire and Sakuno were shocked. Sumire asked first, "D-do you mean that Sakuno will inherit all of your possessions?"

"Of course, she's going to be our daughter after all," Reina confirmed, "don't worry she's secure as she will have her bodyguards at the mansion and wherever she goes."

Sakuno shook her head as she was not hearing things right now. It was impossible to believe all of what she was hearing now, "N-no… I-I don't want to go. I-I don't want Obaa-chan, I don't want to leave everyone here."

"It's not like you are going away far from here. You are going to live in a mansion. You can still see your grandmother and your friends here." Reina assured her.

"B-but living in a mansion… "

Sumire could see how hard it is for her granddaughter to accept the situation. She tried to convince the lady, "R-Reina-san c-can we talk about this over again. H-her parents were long gone now and I am her only family. D-do you think that the deal shouldn't be implemented?"

"I'm sorry Sumire-san but a promise is a promise," Reina said as she looked at Sakuno. The girl flinched as she noticed some sort of fondness in the lady's eyes, "You don't know how long I wish to have a daughter of my own since I couldn't have one anymore."

Sakuno looked down as she was still hearing their exchanging words. Her tears never left her face.

"You said it yourself; she doesn't have her parents now. Do you think that it's about time to have one… again?"

They didn't say a word as they were absorbing her thoughts. Reina continued;

"I am sorry to say this but you can not have each other forever. I experienced that years ago and I knew how that felt."

Sakuno closed her eyes. She had a point but agreeing to her means that she had to leave her grandmother behind. She opened her eyes and she tried to defend herself, "O-Obaa-chan will be left behind… i-if I… leave here."

"We will provide her needs and you will still see her, don't worry," The lady touched her shoulders as a form of comfort, "Do this for your grandmother's sake… and for our sake as well."

Sakuno looked at her grandmother, "O-Obaa-chan… "

"Sakuno… " Sumire looked away as she couldn't look at her granddaughter, "go with her, be a good girl."

"O-Obaa-chan," She freed herself from the lady's touch and went to her grandmother's side, "I don't want to leave you, please don't give me a-"

She stopped as her grandmother glared at her. It was the first time her grandmother did that to her. Her heart was breaking apart as her tears kept falling from her face. She looked down as she couldn't take her grandmother's glare. She didn't see that the glare softened. She flinched when the old lady touched her cheek with her handkerchief,

"Daijoubu da yo, Sakuno they are nice. They will take care of you; I've known them for so long. It's hard to adjust on the new environment but you will get used to it."

"Obaa-chan… "

"Hey, she said it… we can still see each other so stop being a crybaby and show me your smile."

"M-mou… " she forced to smile after her grandmother said that.

Reina kept staring at them. She interrupted the moment later on, "I'm sorry but we need to go now. Pack your things up and we have a long ride to go."

The both of them were shocked, "S-so soon?" Sumire asked.

"That's my purpose of coming here. Now let's go, Sakuno. Pack your things up already."

Sakuno approached the lady and begged her, "P-please l-let me stay here for a while- for a week. Please K-kitazawa-san. L-let me have at least a week to say goodbye to my friends." She gripped her expensive clothes that she was wearing and continued, "T-then I… " she closed her eyes tight and looked down as she was having a hard time saying her next words;

"I'll go with you,"

Reina stared at the girl who was clinging to her. The girl was crying all the time. She couldn't blame the girl. It was too sudden for her to absorb everything she said today. She sighed in the end and said;

"All right, one week then. I'll give one week to tell them."

Sakuno was somewhat enlightened. "T-thank you. thank you so much."

Reina went to the front door and said, "I'll see you after a week then."

Reina was long gone but none of them said a single word. Sakuno couldn't believe everything she discovered today. She was an ordinary girl before she entered her home but became an heiress to some people who were rich that she didn't even know in the first place. Reality must have played a trick on her. Maybe if she would sleep tonight, everything would be return back to normal. That's what she thought. She was in the debt of confusion when he grandmother talked;

"I am very sorry Sakuno, truly I am." Sumire apologized.

Sakuno looked at her. Her grandmother started to cry. She was been holding those tears back until Reina left the house. She held her grandmother tightly as she bursted into tears herself;

"I-it's not your fault O-obaa-chan, please don't blame yourself. It will be harder for me to… t-to leave."

They stayed hugging themselves for a while until they calmed themselves up.

**xxx**

"You don't want me tell them?" Sumire asked her later that night. They decided to share the bed that night.

Sakuno shook her head and said, "I don't want to say goodbye to them Obaa-chan. I-if I do that… I feel like I won't see them again. Please don't tell anyone."

"What do you want me to do then?" she asked her.

"C-continue with your routine… as-as I will do mine," Sakuno said moving closer to her grandmother, "T-they will know eventually after all… when I am gone."

Sumire rubbed her back as she said her words, "If you say so. I'll do that then."

"Thank you O-obaa-chan. Y-you are really the best." She closed her eyes after that.

As they were tried to sleep, a lot of things occurred in Sakuno's mind. She had been thinking about her classmates and teachers at Seigaku, her clumsy best friend Tomoka, her senpais at the tennis club and a certain young tennis prodigy. She opened her eyes wide as she realized what she had thought last;

_I have to say goodbye… to Ryoma-kun… as well._

Her tears were starting to fall once again thinking that possibility of separation from her loved ones in the future… exactly one week later. She was drawn to sleep thinking about HIM all night.

* * *

**The next morning, 5am:**

"I'll go ahead, Obaa-chan." Sakuno cried to her grandmother at the front of their door, fixing her shoes.

"Sakuno, it's still early and you haven't eaten your breakfast yet." Sumire called to her from the kitchen.

"It's alright. I'll just buy buns at the canteen later," Sakuno said before opening the door, "S-see you at school then."

She didn't hear her grandmother's words as she started to run. She didn't sleep well last night because of what happened yesterday. She still couldn't believe it herself; she didn't want to accept the fact of having adopted in the near future.

_Am I doing the right decision? Will that make me happy… in the future?_ She stopped running while thinking that. She knew that her life would change after a week. She kept on walking towards the school without leaving the thought in her mind.

"A daughter… of a rich family… huh?" she whispered as she looked up. She arrived at the school without noticing that she did, "and I have to leave… this school… to be one?" her eyes softened. Tears warned her to fall down from her eyes but she managed to hold them for now. She entered the premises and visited the tennis court first.

"No one is practicing yet." She said as she stared at the big green field in front of her. She stayed there for a while before walking to some places. She explored the corridors, library, faculties, gym, and rooms. She held her head with her hand as if she realized something;

_I can't believe how pathetic I am, exploring this place like I've never seen this before. _She laughed weakly. She might be doing the right thing for she would be leaving the school soon anyway. She continued walking until her feet brought her to the rooftop. She stopped in the middle as she felt the wind blew around her. She closed her eyes to feel the nice breeze to her body. She flinched when her phone rang and she answered it;

"H-hello?" She said.

"Sakuno."

Her eyes widened as she recognized Reina on the line, "Y-you're-"

"I'm sorry to have called you at this hour. I just want to inform you that I'll come and pick you up on Friday night." Reina said in a business tone. She felt that the lady was busy at that time.

"F-Friday- b-but I told you that I-I-"

"I can't extend the day, that is the longest that I can give you," she covered the mouth piece for a sec as she was talking to someone on the other line and went back to her afterwards, "We need your presence as our legal heiress. Your papers are done and you are the only one who's missing."

She gripped the apparatus hard. She couldn't speak.

"Sakuno, are you still there?" Reina said when she didn't respond.

"H-Hai… " she replied.

"I'll see you on Friday night then. I need to go now. Bye."

She could hear the busy tone of her phone that she didn't leave it to her ear. She still replied even the other person was not there anymore, "…bye…"

That's the time she dropped her phone and hid it to her pocket. She walked at the steel bar, at the back side of the school rooftop. She didn't see any nice view in that side of the rooftop. If she did she still couldn't appreciate the view, no matter how pretty the scene was. She gripped the bar really hard and screamed;

"AAAHHHHHHH!" she closed her eyes while doing that. She screamed to her hearts content. She didn't do that before, not in her entire life. Luckily she felt better when she did that. But tears didn't escape her, it fell on her cheek and she wiped them really fast, "This is so… unfair." She whispered… really low.

"That's a scream you made there."

She felt that her heart jumped hard when she heard someone's voice which was definitely familiar to her. She turned around to see Ryoma standing a few inches from her. "Y-you heard me… scream?"

"How could I not? I was here before you came."

"E-eh?" She was surprised. She didn't check the top when she arrived there. And it was really embarrassing that he heard her scream. She looked down.

"You were talking about Friday on the phone, what was it?" he asked her.

Her eyes were dilated. This wasn't getting any worse. He heard them talking on the phone and she was not ready for goodbyes yet, "I-It was nothing… I-I was thinking of what I should have for lunch this coming Friday."

"Hmm." Ryoma muttered. He was not convinced as she observed him.

"R-yoma-kun… y-you wouldn't mind if I—If I make you a bento this Friday, right?" she fidgeted hoping that he agreed.

He stared at her for a while. She became anxious because of the stare that he was giving her. He turned sideways as he pinned his hat down and said;

"I won't mind."

Sakuno was delighted when he agreed, "H-hai… arigatou, Ryom-kun." she closed her eyes naturally. She didn't know that he was staring at her when she did that.

Ryoma nodded as confirmation when she opened her eyes.

"F-Friday then." She said as she walked towards the door of the rooftop. She waved at him before going down.

Ryoma left alone there. Something was bothering him that morning. He felt something different about the girl. _What is she doing here so early in the morning?_ He thought. _I think… she was crying before. Or was I imagining things. _He put those thoughts aside when he realized the concern he was about to build for her. He shook his head as he inserted his hands to his pockets and said;

"I must be imagining things. That should be it."

* * *

**There you have it. How was it? I hope it was not lame or corny or something ridiculous. But I am still hoping that you like this chapter. I want to inform you that the main crossover character will be soon to appear. The person was only minor from the original manga to be exact… that's why I didn't categorize this as a crossover story. (The character will not be served as a main role but only a supporting role; I can say a pillar for the main characters.) So stay tuned for the next chapter.**

**Vocabulary:**

**Sonna - No way or something (negative) like that.**

**Daijoubu da yo - it will be fine, it's alright.**

**I am currently making this story with another story so if you have a little time feel free to see it... thanks... ^_^**

**Reviews please… A word will be appreciated by me. Motivation is what I really NEED-ED.**

**Next Chapter: Sudden Separation **


	3. Sudden Separation

**Just listening to Eyes on Me, japanese version while editing this chapter. Third installment is up now. Thank you the wonderful reviews. You made my day. whaaa... *blush* Please enjoy. ^_^**

**Animecouplelover - hai! arigatou guzaimasu! Here's chapter 3 ... please enjoy... ^_^**

**krisaku - thank you very much that you like... I'll do my best... I hope you enjoy chapter three. ^_^**

**music4life1791 - uhmmm let's say I want it to be a sentimental one. But I am not a sad person though and don't worry, Sakuno will definitely have her happy ending. Just wait for it. She kept it alright, I wonder what Ryoma will do? and new school? hummm? tee hee hee find that out in my later chapters... thank you very much... ^_^ **

**Disclaimer: I do not own P.O.T.**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Sudden Separation**

**Chapter Summary: The time that she had with them was shorter than she expected. His wondering eyes created questions that day.**

* * *

He was walking to get to the tennis court for practicing but he was a bit distracted for a reason.

_She was acting weird this morning. I wonder what happened when I left her yesterday._ He thought but no matter how much he thought it wouldn't solve anything, unless he would ask the girl directly. One thing that bothered him was when they were trapped inside that train. He looked at his hand that he used to hold the girl.

"She smelled like strawberries that time." he whispered. Actually, he felt something that he didn't feel before. He didn't really feel, for real because he never had a close contact to a girl before, aside from his mother and his cousin. Those were different from yesterday. He shook his head as he realized how foolish that was to pay attention to.

"Ryoma-sama!"

He looked up ahead. He frowned when he recognized the voice of her friend, of her loudmouthed friend. He waited for her to approach him but he didn't say anything.

"Are you going to practice now?" the girl asked him enthusiastically.

Ryoma closed his eyes and started to walk saying, "Of course, where else should I go for?"

Tomoka ignored his rude attitude and followed him, "I bet that you are going to beat your senpais again. I can't wait… "

"Che" he said trying to shorten the conversation as possible as he could.

"I think that Sakuno-chan-"

He looked at her when she said her friend's name. He didn't listen to her other words but he realized another thing; the girl continued talking when Ryoma suddenly interrupted on her unending speech;

"You are a girl." It was more like a question than a statement.

Tomoka pouted but replied anyway, "R-ryoma-sama, of course I am a g-"

She wasn't able to continue her words when Ryoma suddenly hugged her. The girl became speechless as she was starting to blush already. Later on, Ryoma let her go and stared stoically. The boy started to walk after that. She could still hear him saying a few words;

"That's really weird… nothing."

Tomoka was left behind. Even though Horio was already her boyfriend, the impact of the hug that her idol gave her was something. She didn't follow him as she was still absorbing what really happened;

"R-ryoma-sama… hugged me… "

* * *

**Four Days Later:**

If she had the power to turn back the time, she would have done it before. Today was her last day at Seigaku. She tried to hide everything from her friends but Ryoma was beginning to suspect something. As possible as she could, she changed the subject when he did that. She went to school early that morning and walked to the court. She would say her goodbyes to her senpais without them noticing. She saw her grandmother at the club and approached her;

"Sakuno, are you going to tell them?" Sumire asked her.

She shook her head as a refusal, "It's hard for me to do that. I-l'll just talk to them today."

"But today is-"

Sumire wasn't able to finish her words when they heard the regulars approaching the club. Sakuno panicked as she whispered;

"P-please obaa-chan, not when I am still here," Sakuno smiled as she went to the door, "everything will be fine."

Sumire watched her granddaughter as she approached the regulars with her best smile. She shook her head. She also feared this day, the day that she would be separated from her granddaughter. She knew everything would change after this day… and she had to face it.

**xxx**

"Ohayou senpai-tachi." Sakuno greeted them.

"Ah—Ryuzaki-chan, you are early today. Are you looking for Ochibi, nya?" Eiji said leaning towards the girl.

"Baka no senpai, of course she is looking for her grandmother," Momo exclaimed, "and Echizen as well."

"M-mou… senpai." She blushed on their teases.

Oishi defended her, "Stop teasing her, guys. She is blushing already."

"There will be a 70% that she will blush and a 30% that she will cry today." Inui announced his calculations.

Everyone looked at him with their wondering eyes. Sakuno was a bit shocked. Was he sure about the percentage? And why would he say that all of the sudden? Eiji asked that for her;

"Are you telling us that Ryuzaki-chan will cry today? …But why?"

Inui just shrugged. To be honest, he didn't know but as he was observing her these days, he had the feeling that the girl would definitely cry a lot today.

Momo noticed Kaidoh's glare at the girl and blamed him;

"Oi! Mamushi, stop scaring the girl like that! No wonder that she will cry today because of you."

"What did you say?"

"Your face is scary, that's why."

The two started a melee as they created a scene. Sakuno panicked trying to stop the two from fighting. The regulars just laughed on her reaction. She only looked at them in the end as a sign of defeat.

_I am going to miss this scene. _She thought. Not long ago, Ryoma appeared from the court together with the Ichinen Trio. She also noticed Tomoka catching up to them.

"Ochibi's here," Eiji said as he announced and shouted, "Echizen-chan! Your girlfriend is looking for you."

Sakuno reacted on his words as she blushed a lot, "K-kikumaru-senpai!"

"Baka." He said sternly as he approached them.

"Echizen is blushing." Momo said.

"I am not."

Fuji was just smiling in the corner watching them while Kawamura was starting to run amok with a racket in his hand. He chased some regulars including the trio and was being laughed by the others. The conversation between them didn't stop until Tezuka announced the practice training. He ordered them to run laps for double than before. They reacted but didn't complain. Before they could start running, Sakuno bowed in front of them and said;

"Arigatou senpai-tachi, for taking care of my grandmother. I hope that you will still do the same in the future."

"Why are you saying that?" Ryoma asked her.

She looked up at him and said, "I-I never had the chance to say that before. S-so thank you."

Everyone looked at her and then looked at each other. Before she could confess or anything, she started to walk away and said;

"Well, I need to go to my class now. I'll see you on Monday." She said. Even though it's painful to lie, she still said that to them. She dragged Tomoka with her.

"M-Monday? Will she won't be here after class?" Momo wondered. Everyone in the club was also thinking what she said to them but it was distracted when Tezuka caught their attention;

"If you won't move a single muscle there, I'll have you run laps for triple."

Everyone started to run when they heard that. They temporarily forgot what the girl said to them as they ran, preparing for the next training that morning.

**xxx**

"Sakuno-chan, you are acting really weird, what's happening to you?" Tomoka said when the teacher asked for a break time that day.

"W-what do you mean?" she innocently asked her best friend.

Tomoka stood up and went closer to her, "Don't play dumb to me, girl. I am not that stupid."

"R-really, Tomoka-chan. I-It's nothing. It's probably I am still adjusting to the environment, that's all."

Before Tomoka could talk, Sakuno stood up and hastily hugged her. Tomoka was shocked on her action as she was stiffened in their position.

"I am so grateful of having you as my best friend. You worried a lot about me… so thank you." she closed her eyes as she said that.

"W-what are you saying? Y-you sounded like you are going away. You're freaking me out."

"You are just imagining things. I am not going anywhere." _Gomen ne Tomoka-chan, for lying to you like this._ She thought. _I just can't imagine saying goodbye to the people I love. So I won't say it._

They just released each other as the school bell rang, signaling for lunch time.

"Tomoka-chan, I need to s-see R-ryoma-kun." She said bashfully.

Tomoka understood her and smiled devilishly, "That's the spirit girl, Go and seduce your prince with your bento."

Sakuno blushed to her best friend's words, "Mou, Tomoka-chan."

Tomoka reached for her bento and pushed her outside, "don't worry about me, I'll eat lunch with Horio today."

Sakuno started to run thinking what Tomoka said. _At least her energy is back again._ She thought as she went to the rooftop. She reached the place and looked at a certain tennis prince. The prince was no where to be found. Then she looked at the highest place. She climbed the ladder and she saw the subject of her mind.

Ryoma was lying on the cold tiles with both his hands were resting in his head. His eyes were closed. She hesitated if she would come closer or not. She stayed still on that location for a while thinking for a best approach.

"What are you doing standing there?"

She flinched when the boy talked but she managed to reply, "I-I thought that you were… sleeping."

"I was about to if you didn't come." He said as he sat up and looked at her stoically.

Sakuno looked down and said, "I-I am sorry."

"Why are you apologizing?"

"e-eh?"

"I came here because you promised me that you would make a bento for me."

Sakuno reacted, the boy was still looking at her but she couldn't say a word to him.

"Give me that." He said as he extended his hand to her.

"H-hai… " she replied quickly. She went to him and gave him his bento. He opened it and saw lots of food in it. There were rice balls that made out of/shaped like tennis balls, shrimp, sushi, and naruto for side dishes.

"You are not going to make food for the whole day, aren't you?" Ryoma said not looking at her instead he started to eat his share.

"I-I am not." She blushed. _Because I am afraid, this is the last time that I am going to make you a bento. Sh_e added in her thoughts. She started to eat as well.

He looked at her. _That look on her face. She's having it again. _He looked back at his bento and ate again, "This is good. Thanks."

"I-I am glad that you like it."

"Make me another one again… on Monday."

"e-eh." She looked at him, surprisingly. He wanted her to make another bento for him… on Monday.

" … "

She blushed when the boy was still looking at her, waiting for her reply, "H-hai."

"It's a promise then."

Her heart was beating fast. It was her first time that she would make a promise to him, "I-it's a promise… " she just said that. Sadly for her first promise that meant to be broken.

Not long ago, her phone rang. She looked at the screen, "O-obaa-chan?" she looked at Ryoma who was still eating beside her.

"Answer it."

She flinched when he talked. It was really odd for her grandmother to call her even though they were at the same place. She walked away from him and answered the call;

"O-obaa-chan? W-why did you call? W-we are on-"

"Sakuno… "

"H-hai… "

Silence was erupted between them. Sakuno gripped her apparatus hard as her heart was beating so fast. She could sense why her grandmother called her and she confirmed it when Sumire talked;

"Reina-san is waiting for you at home right now. You will be leaving with her after you are done packing your things."

Her greatest fear had come to get her. She couldn't reply to her grandmother after hearing that. She remembered that it was too early so she asked her;

"b-but I thought that she will come and pick me up at night?"

"She doesn't have the time tonight since she is a busy businesswoman after all. Sakuno WE really needed to go home right now."

"W-what about practice?" she asked her.

Sumire sighed, "I will have to cancel the practice today since Tezuka can't make it."

Sakuno didn't reply. She was going to leave the school. It was such a good thing that she managed to talk to her friends before leaving the premises completely. And she was able to talk to Ryoma for the last time. She had no regrets about leaving the place… today. She ended the call after that and went to the boy who had finished eating his lunch.

"What did you talk about?" Ryoma asked her.

"Eh?" she looked at him so that he wouldn't suspect anything, "S-she asked me where I was, I told her I am here and... "

"and?"

She blushed as she was staring at him. She had to lie to him… for the last time, "and that… I-I'm with you."

He stared at her. She looked away hoping that he would buy it. That was not entirely wrong. Although they didn't talk about him, she was actually with him at such time. She flinched when he talked, "Sou ka."

Sakuno stood up and said, "W-well, Ryoma-kun… I-I need to go. Lunch break is almost up now. G-good luck to you," she reached for the bentos and started to run, "I'll see you."

_I wishfully hope that. _Her crying heart desired that thought.

Ryoma was left behind having lots of thoughts about of her actions. She was long gone but Ryoma didn't move a muscle. He could hear the school bell rang once again but he didn't stand up to get to his class instead he laid down once again and trying to get a nap.

"I'll skip class today." He timidly said to himself as he started to close his eyes.

**xxx**

Thirty minutes had already passed as she predicted that Seigaku's normal class hours ended. She went home early that day to pack her things and it took her for almost three hours of doing so. Reina was patiently waiting for them to finished packing. And now she was finally done.

"Are you ready now?" Reina asked her when she went down from her room.

Sakuno politely nodded to her 'mother.'

"Let's go then." She said as she went to the door first and opened it. A black car was waiting for her outside. It was the same car that she saw almost a week ago.

"Reina-san, you will let her visit me sometimes… ok." Sumire said as she grabbed the lady's shoulder.

"Of course Sumire-obaa-san," She touched her hand and pressed it a little, "she was your granddaughter after all."

_Was?_ Sakuno thought. Why would the lady say that? Sumire was always her grandmother… wherever she was. Sakuno looked at her grandmother and the later did the same. Sumire approached her and gave her a big, tight hug;

"Be sure to call me when you are free."

"H-hai."

"Do not get lost anymore. Ask for directions carefully."

"H-hai."

Silence broke between them still hugging each other.

"Do not cry a lot. You hear me."

"H-hai."

She released her granddaughter and saw her crying. Sumire smiled as she quickly wiped her tears, "and I just told you not to cry, silly girl."

"Y-you are crying yourself too O-obaa-chan," she hugged the old lady once again and cried a lot, "I-I will miss you."

"I'll miss you too. Be careful ok."

"Hn."

Reina just let them stayed like that for a while. And after a moment of comfort, she interrupted;

"We need to go now, Sakuno. I need to go back to the office asap."

She released from the hug of her grandmother and went to the car. She sat from the backseat while Reina sat to the front seat. She instructed the driver to go now. Before they left the house, Sakuno looked at every inch of it trying to remember the structure, the shelter that she had been living for fifteen years of her life. And then she looked at her grandmother who was leaning at the window. It was not tinted so Sumire could see her. She placed her hands to the window. It was thick but she could feel the warmth of her grandmother's hand that was also leaning from the window. She verbalized her words making that Sumire would understand as the car was starting to run.

"I love you Obaa-chan, Good bye."

She looked behind her. She didn't stop crying as she was staring at her grandmother and the house. It was really hard. What feared her now was the new life that she was going to live from now on. She knew that it wasn't going to be easy. She felt trembling all over and then she remembered everyone. And the person that she promised just a while ago;

"I am sorry everyone, Tomoka-chan… I am sorry Ryoma-kun." She closed her eyes slowly as she let her tears ran down her cheeks.

**xxx**

"I am home." Ryoma announced as soon as he got home.

"Okaeri, Ryoma." Rinko said to him.

He went upstairs to put down his school belongings but not his gear. It was a shocked for him that practice didn't take place today. Something was odd, he could sense it. He also noticed that Sakuno was hiding something from him… to everyone to be précised. But he put the thought aside, it was something that he hated to do… to think hard. He decided that he would practice by himself that day. He went downstairs once again and told everyone that he was going to practice.

"Go home early, Okay." Rinko shouted from the kitchen.

"I am not a kid anymore, Okaa-san." He said as he put his shoes back again to his feet. Karupin was comforting him on that location. He could hear his mother agreeing to him in a nonsense talk. He shook his head as he opened the door. But to his surprise, Karupin ran outside and went to the pavement;

"K-karupin!" he retorted as he chased his Himalayan cat. The cat ran fast despite the weight it's having, "Wait, you damn cat."

The cat continued to run as it meowed to him. Not long ago, Ryoma caught with his cat when it stopped running at a certain area. He quickly grabbed his cat and carried it; "You naughty cat, running off like that? What's gotten into you?"

He asked the cat even though it was impossible for it to reply to him. He noticed that his cat was staring up ahead. He sensed at that time that something was approaching, out of reflexes; he looked at the pavement once again. A black car was passing by to his direction. The car looked familiar to his eyes. His eyes widened as he looked inside the car. There was a girl who was seating at the backseat, crying. He clearly recognized the girl as it passed by, the girl that he certainly knew as he said her name;

"…Ryuzaki?"

* * *

**Done! How was it? I hope you like it. The main, minor crossover character will appear on my next chapter. (Aside from Reinja who was about to appear.) The person was not really popular but in my point of view that person is really cute. So please stay tuned.**

**Take note _Crystal Teardrops_ will update every Friday some time in the morning and _Absolute Couple_ will be every Tuesday as well in the morning (PHT). Thank you.**

**Reviews please! I really appreciate your words no matter how long or short it is. A word will truly make me happy. Thank you a lot. ^_^**

**Next Chapter: The Princess and the Pauper**


	4. The Princess and The Pauper

**I am back, minna! Okay I was treated two cups of coffee shake by two different co-workers last night... how sweet of them. But ugh... I am not feeling well today... I still want to post this chapter though... I am so inspired by your words. Thank you for your reviews. Surprises are starting to reveal themselves one by one. So I represent to you the chapter 4 of my Crystal Teardrops. Please enjoy. ^_^**

**animecouplelover - thank you and as promised here's chapter four I hope you enjoy this...**

**music4life1791 - thank you that you will save enough time to read my stories in the future. and don't worry about it... I know that you will read them still just focus on your studies and I wish you luck... ^_^**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own TeniPuri. Just pure imaginations are all I have. **

* * *

**Chapter 4: The Princess and the Pauper**

**Chapter Summary: Entering a new life was never been easy for her until she found him there. He reacted... silently...**

* * *

"Welcome to the Kitazawa Household, Sakuno."

Reina said when one of the men wearing a black suit opened the door of the car for her. The ride took for two hours since they had some stopovers before heading to the mansion. She kind of expected that she would be living in a mansion that she heard before but she didn't expect it to be big like this. Before they arrived at the mansion, she could see the large garden around her. It amazed her and it did make her stop from crying. The mansion was awfully big and she couldn't imagine herself living in that place.

_This is like … a castle._ She thought. The mansion was decorated with silver artifacts and lights. Wherever she looked, it shined from her eyes, "this is… where I am going to… live?"

"Yes, this is your house from now on," Reina said in a business tone. She felt odd when her 'mother' used that tone on her. She felt that there was still something that she needed to accomplish. Well, her thoughts were right after all, there were lots of things that she needed to know and learn, "Let's go inside."

They went inside the house. As soon as they opened the door to the mansion, Sakuno's lips were slightly opened as she was surprised to see what was inside. A group of ladies, maids were lined and was bowing in front of them. Behind them was another guy who seemed to be a two or three year older than her wearing a gorgeous black suit different from the men outside. She couldn't recognize all the people in front of them.

"Welcome Back! Reina-dono, Young mistress Sakuno-sama." The ladies greeted them in synchronization.

Sakuno reacted as she blushed on what they called her. She waved her hands randomly as she said her words, "P-please, don't call me that-"

"Sakuno, they have the right to call you that. You are one of the masters of this house after all." Reina said not looking at her.

She looked down. She was beginning to feel awkward. Reina told her to follow her. They walked further inside the mansion, "Hayate, follow us," She could hear the guy who was wearing a gorgeous black suit whom Reina named Hayate followed suit, "If you need something, you can ask Hayate. He's the butler of the house."

"I am Hayate Ayasaki ma'am and I am honored to be of your service." Hayate bowed a little for her as they continued walking.

"H-hai." She blushed a little as she looked around. From the corner of eyes, she saw a little boy swiping the large floor not far from their location they were walking. The little boy was wearing a tattered dress, his hair was messy and he was dirty all over. She could see that there was a big lady beside him who was watching the poor boy swiping. She also witnessed of closing his eyes for several times as if he was about to cry every time the old lady was shouting at him. Something inside her felt crashed when she saw that scene. She felt pity for the little boy that she thought he was only in his 4 or 5 years of age.

"You are going to meet your father at the other side of this door."

She felt nervous when she heard that from Reina. She was about to meet the influential and elite ambassador, the second richest person of Japan and soon to be her father. Her heart was beating so fast when Hayate opened the door for them. From the inside, she saw a gorgeous man sitting in front of the table, busy writing on his desk. The man has an almond-colored hair, fair enough that suited for the color of his skin. Hayate closed the door leaving them from the other side of the door. Reina walked further and called the person.

"Dear, Sakuno is here." She said as she gave him a quick kiss.

Sakuno stared at them. _They are such… a perfect couple._ She noticed that Reina has nice crimson red hair and jade-like eyes. She hadn't had the time to look at her appearance due to her confusion. Her 'mother' was indeed beautiful and her husband was looking gorgeous in their midthirties.

"Sakuno, this is Reinja, my husband and the master of this mansion and soon to be your father." Reina cut her reverie as she talked. She panicked but she was able to reply to them;

"N-nice to meet you s-sir, I-I am Ryuzaki Sakuno." She bowed as respect. To her surprise, the man laughed after she said that. She looked up at him.

"Sakuno, you don't have to call me that. I am going to be your father after all." Reinja said to her.

She blushed. Her 'father' had a different aura for her. She looked at his blue eyes and it felt warm when she did that.

Reinja became serious after saying that. "You are perfectly aware that your life is not going to be the same anymore. We will provide you protection as you are going to live with the influential people. You will have your private teacher for the continuation of your studies. And if you want to go outside just ask me or your mother for permission."

"I-I won't go to any school?" She took the courage to ask him. She knew that she won't be attending Seigaku but she was still expecting to attend another school that's why it surprised her to have such a private tutor inside the mansion.

"We can not take the risk of putting you in danger, not that you are seen in public." Reina continued.

"You will have your personal maid later. She will take care of everything. You will also have a tutor for the right manners and customs to become a lady in this mansion." Reinja announced in a monotonous tone, "I hope that you will cooperate with us."

She couldn't absorb everything they said. She felt that she was drowning from a bottomless sea. Everything was so good to be true. Incredulously, she was able to nod.

Reinja stood up and approached her. She flinched when he petted her hair she never felt that for ages, "I know that you are tired. Rest now, you will have to explore the mansion tomorrow."

She nodded. And once again, Reinja called Hayate from the outside. He instructed the butler to take her to her room.

"Have a good night sleep, my dear." She flinched when Reina called her that. She smiled at her to her hearts content. She bowed to them for the last time before leaving them in that room.

She looked around as she they were on their way to her room. She still couldn't believe that it was happening to her right now. She could see a lot of chandeliers hanging in each room. The mansion was incredulously huge. _I am afraid I might lose in this big mansion._ She thought while worrying about her own weakness. And then she remembered the boy that she saw earlier. She took the chance of asking the guy;

"Uhmm, Hayate-san, can I ask you a question?"

"Mistress you can call me Hayate, it's alright."

Sakuno shook her head, "I still want to address you as that. I don't want to be rude to anyone especially to the person t-that I just met."

Hayate was shocked but regained his posture, "I-if you say so miss, by the way what is it that you wanted to ask?"

"T-the little boy that we passed earlier on, t-the one with the tattered dress... "

"You mean Capella-kun." He looked at her curiously.

"Capella-kun, that's his name?"

"Un," Hayate nodded, "he's the youngest manservant in the mansion. He was an orphan before Reinja-dono let him work here."

"B-but he was young? W-why is he working at such an early age?" Sakuno asked him.

"It's a long story but pardon me we are not aloud to divulge any information about that," Hayate said in a manner tone, "My apologies mistress."

Sakuno blushed and said, "I-it's okay. I am just curious about him, that's why. H-hayate-san c-can you not call me that? I-I am not use to."

"I can't do that. You are my mistress," They stop at a certain door, "Here we are."

Hayate opened the door and she was welcomed by a large room. For the hundred times, she owed in bewilderment. She entered the room. To her left, she could see a large bed with three layers of thick linen, beside the bed was a large window. She approached the window and looked outside. The scene was in the outskirts. Her location was at the corner of the mansion. To the other corner of her room were a living room and a T.V set. There was another door just beside the T.V. She approached the door and opened it. She could a large mirror and wardrobes inside.

"There are beautiful clothes around here."

"They are all yours my mistress."

"E-eh?" Sakuno couldn't believe it. They were all beautiful and too expensive. That never occurred in her dreams that she could wear one. Just thinking about it made her realize that it was so not her.

She went out of the clothing room and noticed a large veranda straight from the room. She slided the glass door and went outside. There was a small table set outside the veranda and from that view; she could see the scene from her location. She imagined the beautiful morning scenes as well.

"A-are you sure t-that this is my room? This is so… big."

"Yes it is. This is where you're sleeping from now on."

After saying his words, someone entered the door. It was a maid wearing a blue dress and white apron over it. The light-orange pigtailed girl was just around her age bowed in front of her.

"G-good evening, S-sakuno-sama. My name's Ahiru, Arima Ahiru. I am your personal maid from now on."

Sakuno nodded, "N-nice to meet you." she also noticed that the girl was blushing. _I could see myself in her._

"Well, if there is anything that you need to know just push the button beside your bed. I will definitely come to your aid." Hayate said to her.

"O-ok, thank you very much Hayate-san." She bowed in front of him.

"P-please mistress, stop doing that. We are just your humble servants."

"But… "

"Mistress we are not allowed to act equal like you. Please understand that." Ahiru said to her.

Sakuno was a bit down. So everyone was treating her high and mighty now. Like a princess who was born with a silver spoon in her mouth. Everything was going to be hard for her as she could sense it.

Ahiru continued her words, "We will take our leave now, mistress. Call us if you need anything. Please have a good night's rest." The maid bowed at her before leaving the room followed by Hayate.

Sakuno released a big sigh. The place was awfully quiet now. She was going to sleep in this large room and she could sense that sleep was hard for her that night. She went back to the veranda and looked overview. _It seems that I am still dreaming._ She thought. She remembered her friends back at Seigaku.

"Obaa-chan… " Sakuno whispered, "Please give me courage to live this new life of mine," Her eyes softened as she remembered a certain tennis prodigy, "I wonder if I ever see him again."

She stood there for a while thinking about him when she suddenly heard someone cried. She looked around and saw a certain person crying near her location. She was startled at first, thinking about calling Hayate or Ahiru but as she looked at the person closely, the figure was not that suspicious. She noticed that the cry was of a little boys'. She walked around and saw a stair. She went down and approached the crying person.

"C-capella-kun?"

The little boy looked at her curiously and surprisingly when he recognized her, "M-mistress? H-how did you know my name?"

Sakuno smiled at the crying boy. Her heart was pounding at ease when she looked at the little boy, "I asked your name from Hayate-san. Why are you crying here?"

"M-miss Kraehe punished me for making lots of mistakes today. She told me that I am not allowed to eat dinner tonight… but… I am hungry." The boy continued to cry.

She felt pity of him. She couldn't leave the boy in that cold night. She offered her hand to him and said, "Come with me, I have some cookies in my bag."

Capella stared at her hand. He was thinking whether to accept it or not and then she continued;

"Don't worry. It will be our secret." She winked at the little boy.

Finally, Capella accepted her hand and smiled, "H-hai."

* * *

**Later On:**

"T-thank you very much mistress, for the cookies." Capella said. Sakuno let him take the cookies that she brought.

"It's nothing. And please Capella-kun, you can call me Sakuno-onee-chan." She asked the little boy. And thenshe suddenly remembered about calling her by such an address. She thought that Capella was no ordinary from them.

"Okay!" Capella replied and grinning already, "I'll call you nee-chan from now on."

Sakuno was a bit shocked. That was somewhat relieved her.

"I'll go back to my chamber now. I'll see you tomorrow then, Onee-chan. Bye." He said as he started to run away from him and headed to his place.

She stared at the location where Capella went. So there was someone whom she could make friends with without calling her mistress or Sakuno-sama. It was not like her. She could feel that she was someone else when she was being called like that. Actually she was a different person now… and she needed to adjust for that. But Capella could make her the old self by simply calling her nothing but a big sister. She went back inside and approached her bed. She laid down her worn out body as she thought of everyone back at Seigaku one more time;

_I miss everyone already… _she closed her eyes not noticing that her tears fell that time and before was drawn to sleep, she was able to whisper a certain name;

"Ryoma… kun."

* * *

**Monday morning at Seigaku:**

The teacher from 1-1 gathered the class around to make an important announcement;

"Ryuzaki Sakuno is no longer be studying here in Seigaku-"

**SLAM!**

The teacher's speech was cut by Tomoka's actions. Everyone looked at the girl's direction. The girl was standing with her hands on her desk, eyes were wide open, "S-sensei what d-do you mean by that?"

"She was offered a good life and won't be studying in this school anymore. Actually I was being informed by this just now," The teacher said as she fixed her glasses, "Now Osakada-san, if you please stop making any unnecessary noise and sit down."

Tomoka didn't budge for a while or following her teacher's orders. Instead she pulled her hands away from her desk and started to walk away.

"Where are you going?" The teacher asked her.

"To the restroom." Tomoka answered not looking at her teacher. As soon as she got out of her classroom, she started to run and headed from the tennis court.

_What is happening here? Why did you leave Sakuno-chan? Why didn't you say anything? _Tomoka thought as she reached the court. She looked around. Everyone was doing their warm-ups at that time. She saw Sumire shouting to motivate everyone at the court. She didn't waste a time and approached the coach;

"Ryuzaki-sensei, i-is it true?"

Everyone looked at the desperate girl. They thought that something was not right. Sumire was preparing herself for Tomoka's question.

"Osakada-san, what's happening here?" the Mother hen asked the panicky girl.

"W-where is she?" Sumire reacted she Tomoka ignored Oishi's question. Inui and Ryoma were looking at the hysterical girl.

Horio went closer to her girlfriend, "Hey, what's happening to you? We are practicing Tomoka."

Tomoka also ignored her boyfriend and continued asking the coach, "Is it true that Sakuno will no longer be studying here in Seigaku?"

Everyone was shocked on her questions, especially Sumire and Ryoma. Sumire was the one who regained composure. She sighed big and her expressions changed to something painful;

"You are right, she is not going to study here anymore."

"WHAT!" Momo. Eiji and Trio reacted at the same time.

Ryoma, Fuji, Inui and Tezuka's eyes widened. The rest reacted differently.

"T-that's not true sensei, right. You are only joking."

Sumire closed her eyes, "I wished I was joking but it's the truth."

Everyone approached the coach to make more information of the surprised revelation. Sumire just said her next words;

"Sakuno was no longer with me anymore."

The regulars continued asking her for explanations and clarifications. On the other hand, the youngest member of the team was still absorbing the real situation. He slowly left the court without everyone noticing except Fuji. The tensai was staring at the walking tennis prodigy away and said;

"What are you going to do now, Echizen?"

**xxx**

He walked to reach a vending machine. When he got there he inserted some coins on the coin slot and pushed the button for ponta. He quickly grabbed the ponta, opened it and drank continuously. He didn't know that he finished drinking the juice in one sip until he distanced the can from him. His eyes kept staring at the empty can aimlessly and then the stare turned to a fierce glare. Students who were walking beside the machine looked at him when he created a large bang. He hit the machine with his tight grip holding the empty can of ponta while looking down pinning the brim of his hat with his other hand. He gritted his teeth and said his next words;

"Usotsuki no baka… "

* * *

**It's done! The minor crossover was here. Actually there were some characters that will support the story as Sakuno will live her life in the mansion.**

**FOR THE REVIEWERS OUT THERE THIS IS FOR YOU:**

**For those people who reviewed on my chapters 1 to 4 (yeah including this one) I am doing this for you. One month from now, I will be writing a new one shot fanfic story. Think of an anime pairing and teaser and share it to me. The same pairing numbers the higher chance I will make it. The teaser will be from a different reviewer or it depends on how it goes. So my next one shot will be for the reviewer's request. (Anime pairing applies only on my favorite anime. See my profile for the list.) I hope you like this plan of mine. Thank you very much… I love you all… **

**Vocabulary words:**

**Capella – The main minor crossover character from 07-ghost manga, He was the little boy Teito saved when he and Frau were on the journey to the land of Seele.**

**Hayate – from the Hayate no Gotoku or Hayate the combat butler, I just felt including him into my story since he fits for serving a rich family.**

**Ahiru – the main protagonist of the anime Princess Tutu, A duck that transferred into a clumsy little girl and then a princess with the help of a necklace. **

**Kraehe – Soon to be appeared but mentioned earlier, also from Princess Tutu, The black personality of Rue in the anime and the daughter of the raven. **

**Reinja – Originally Reinjja Schmitz in Adeniss X. He was the husband of Yumeru in the story and the first protector being announced in the history of Adeni.**

**Usotsuki no baka – stupid liar.**

**I hope you liked this chapter. Please tell me what you thought about this. Thank you for bearing with me. Until next time... ^_^**

**I don't own the animes 07-Ghost, Hayate No Gotoku, Princess Tutu and the Funny komiks: A.X. Just sharing the animes that I reaaaally love. I don't claim anything regarding that matter.**

**Next Chapter: Distant Thoughts and Changes**


	5. Distant Thoughts and Changes

**Sorry for the long wait… been busy on both stories. I was very surprised to see lots of feedback on my previous chapter. I really appreciate that you like it. Well this is the fifth installment of my story. I hope you like this like the previous ones. Thank you very much. ^_^**

**animecouplelover - thank you once again. I am surprised though to a reaction like like that, tee hee hee. I hope that you like this new chapter too. **

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own TeriPuri. That is definitely a crystal clear.**

* * *

**Chapter 5: Distant Thoughts and Changes**

**Chapter Summary: Living a different life wasn't easy for her as she was forced to do something that she didn't like to do. Everything wasn't the same now that he didn't see her presence anymore.**

* * *

"Changes don't mean that you'll change yourself as well."

~MitsukiJunko

* * *

**Monday Lunch Break:**

As usual, he was in his favorite place when he was not in the court. He laid down on the cold tiles of the rooftop as he was staring at the sky. He was thinking to himself, why does the sky is blue? Why does it painted blue? Can't it be yellow? …Red? …Silver? Why blue? And why did he keep thinking these stupid thoughts? Why? Is he THAT feeling blue? His eyes wide opened as he realize something. He sat up and brushed his hair.

"What is happening to me? …Thinking such stupid, nonsense thoughts." He whispered to himself as if he was getting irritated.

_Ryoma-kun…_

That shocked him and instantly looked behind him. He thought he heard someone calling him. He looked everywhere as he explored the area with his eyes but he found no one. He was actually expecting an auburn pigtailed-girl to call him like that. In fact, he was actually thinking that SHE was calling him a while ago. He shook his head hard and thought;

_I must be insane imagining someone who was not here anymore. _ His instinct was right. It was really HER that he saw last time in that black car. It was amazing that he didn't do any confirmation that he could gather when she was still there. But it was too late now. He laid back again on the tiles, examining the color of the sky once again. It was peaceful alright… and quiet. But the color of the sky did give him another meaning;

"Maybe… I am feeling blue… after all." He blurted those words as he remembered the conversation they had with the team earlier before he secretly left the group.

* * *

**Flashback:**

_Everyone left agape when they heard her story. It was all too sudden for them to absorb everything. Tomoka broke the silence afterwards;_

" _T-the Kitazawa clan… one of the most influential families of Japan?"_

_Sumire nodded as a confirmation._

"_To be adopted by such reasons… I can't believe Sakuno-chan agreed to that."_

"_We didn't have a choice. It was something that her parents decided years ago."_

"_Are you okay with this, Sensei?" Tezuka asked their coach._

_Sumire sighed, "I would be lying to all of you if I say that I am."_

_Silence occurred between them._

"_So, that explains her weird actions these past few days," Fuji said, "Inui your calculations were not quite right, I think she cried a lot more than the percentage you gave her."_

_Inui just fixed his glasses. _

"_Why didn't she say goodbye to us?" Tomoka said looking down trying to hold her tears back from falling._

"_Understand her Tomoka," Sumire tapped her shoulder and continued, "it was hard for her to say goodbye to all of you. You will still see her if the opportunity allows her."_

"_You mean she can not see us whenever she wanted to?" Momo asked their coach._

_Before Sumire could reply, Eiji butted in, "That's unfair! It will be sad if she's not around, especially Ochibi."_

_Ryoma stared at his senpai sternly but he didn't say anything. His hands were in his pockets so they didn't see the tight grip he made with his hands. _

"_Sakuno is entering a different life now. She will belong to a wealthy family once the papers are done. I was being told that she would inherit all the properties of the Kitazawa's."_

_She received different reactions from her team. Oishi asked her with a worried look on his face;_

"_The Kitazawa is such influential and popular in the country. Will she be safe there?"_

"_Reinja-san and Reina-san will be protecting her there. Reina-san promised me to hire her some bodyguards for security. Knowing that she will be safe there, I am at ease."_

"_Ryuzaki-chan is such a big time person now." Eiji said with amusement with his face._

"_Senpai that's not funny." Momo complained at his senpai's words._

_Eiji defended himself, "I am just telling the truth. She's definitely in a different world now. No one can level her except Ochibi here."_

"_What do you mean by that?" Ryoma retorted._

"_Eiji's right Echizen, you yourself is a big time person too. You are not a grand slam achiever for nothing," Fuji faced him while saying that and smirked afterwards, "You two are a perfect fit."_

_Ryoma glared at Fuji as the others started teasing him. He pinned his hat down afterwards and said, "Stupid senpai-tachi."_

"_I am still disappointed."_

_Everyone looked at Tomoka who was crying already. Horio comforted her by placing both of his hands on her shoulders._

"_She lied to me. How could she do this to us? I am her best friend for goodness sake," Tomoka buried her face with her hands. It was new to them to see the only most 'qu-i-et' girl cheering them, "I won't forgive her for doing this."_

_Sumire walked to the crying girl and hugged her, "I am sorry, Tomoka. It was partly my fault. She was only a victim here. Don't blame her." _

_Tomoka cried her heart out in Sumire's shirt, "Stupid girl! Distancing herself from us. Where is she? When will I see her again? She was definitely taken away from us."_

_Everyone remained quiet while having their own thoughts in their mind. No one could predict what will happen next unless they have to wait in the future. Ryoma was silently staring at them. Not bothering to say anything. She was gone. She was not there anymore. What about the promise she made to him? Was it all a lie? He pinned his hat down and slowly left the area without them noticing._

* * *

Still staring at the sky, he felt a little pissed. He was there for a purpose that he perfectly knew that it wouldn't be implemented. That's where he made her promise. It was simple for him… to wait for her with the promised bento but he knew that she wouldn't appear there anymore. His eyes became fierce when the wind blew. He turned to his sideways and whispered;

"Where the heck are you?"

* * *

**Lunch time at the Mansion:**

She looked around from nowhere. Her eyes were actually searching for something or rather… someone. Ahiru noticed her as she stopped fixing her clothes;

"M-mistress, what's the matter?"

She looked at her personal maid, "Iie, I just thought I heard something." She must be imagining things. She thought that someone was asking her something which was not clear.

The maid just nodded at her and said, "You will eat with your parents today, milady. Everything's prepared now."

"O-okay… " Sakuno was still adjusting with her new life at the mansion. Ahiru was fixing her new clothes… her new expensive clothes. Her maid said that it was just her house dress but in her opinion, it was a dress that she could wear during parties. The dress was turtle neck style with a smile ribbon just below her neck. It was just above knee level and the sash on her waist that forming a large ribbon at her back was fitting to her size. What surprised her was it was her favorite color. It paired by a new pair of doll shoes. She was blushing already when she looked at the mirror.

"You look beautiful. Just like a princess." Ahiru praised her master.

"P-please don't call me that." She said as she was staring at her own reflection.

"But it's the truth," Ahiru defended herself, "A-anyway, w-we should get going now. We wouldn't like to let them wait for you."

Sakuno nodded as she headed to the door. She was about to open it herself but Ahiru stopped her and opened the door herself. It was still new to her to have someone opened a door for her. She sighed as she followed her personal maid. Not long ago, she reached the dining area. She still couldn't believe her eyes how sparkling the entire room—no the entire mansion was. She was being instructed to seat on the chair allotted for her across from her 'parents'. The table was amazingly long though but it was also amazing that she could still hear them speaking at the other end.

"How were you these days, Sakuno?" Reinja asked her.

Sakuno looked down as she said her words honestly, "I-I am still adjusting from it."

Reinja laughed on her reply. It was a shocked for her but not in an offending way. In fact, she found it very amusing.

"You'll get used to it. Make yourself at home. Okay." He said.

"H-hai."

"Before we eat today, I want you to sign these documents." Reina signaled once of the bodyguards and approached her. He was holding a folder and placed it in front of her table. She was wondering what that folder was. Reinja spoke as if he read her mind;

"That is the adaptation papers, Sakuno. You just have to sign all the papers there and you will be our legal daughter."

She flinched. She stared at the document in front of her for a long time. Once she signed those papers she would become a Kitazawa. Ryuzaki was going to be a stranger to her, thinking that wanted her to back out from the deal. She didn't want to change her name. She wanted to be a Ryuzaki as she could.

"Everything will be fine. Trust us, dear." Reina said.

She looked up at her 'mother'. That was the second time she heard her say that. They were actually busy that she barely saw them these past two days and it was the second time that she was able to talk to them for long. She opened the folder and stared at them for a long time. She unconsciously reached for the pen and signed the papers shakingly. She was trembling all the time when she signed all those papers in front of her. She sighed big when she was done signing the documents.

"Welcome to the family, Sakuno Kitazawa." Reinja and Reina said in unison followed by clapping of hands. Everyone in the room clapped their hands as well.

She felt a little relieved to receive such warm welcomes form them. She wore a smile afterwards. _At least they are so kind to accept me like this. _She stood up to their surprise and bowed in front of them, "Thank you very much. P-please take care of me."

They were shocked at first but Reinja recovered afterwards and laughed once again, "Okay… enough with that. We will have your recognition in the future days for now you will have your makeover after our lunch. Your mother will accompany you today so prepared for today's activities."

"H-hai."

Reinja called the cook and started serving their food. She was expecting that even their food were gorgeous but even though, shock was still registered on her face. The food was not incredulously looking good but it was amazingly delicious as well. She never tasted like this before.

The couple just looked at her reactions and smiled weakly. Reinja whispered something to her wife, "She needed a lot of changes, my dear. But do it slowly okay."

"You can count on me. I'll talk to my best sponsors for help." She said as she stared at their new daughter.

* * *

**Later on:**

Uhmm, R-reina-san… "

"Call me mom, Sakuno." Reina said as she got in to her car. Sakuno followed her in side the car.

Sakuno blushed she needed to get used calling her mom or Reinja, dad as well, "M-mom… may I ask, where are we… going?"

"To a magazine company. You will have your first feature there as our adopted daughter." Reina said in a business tone.

Sakuno nodded politely. Reina instructed the driver to go to a certain magazine company. But changed her mind and said another place. Sakuno wondered;

"S-salon?"

"You need makeovers to your entire appearance. We will go there first."

Sakuno was nervous now that she heard her mother's words. She had a bad feeling about that, wishing that it wouldn't get any worse.

**xxx**

They reached a private salon and makeover shop exclusively for Kitazawa family and friends. Reina introduced her to the people our there. She also met a very fine lady who would assist her.

"Sakuno, she is called Fancy Lala here. You can call her Lala if you like."

She bowed, "N-nice to meet you, Lala-san."

Lala smiled at her and said, "My, you are so cute and kind. I like you already."

Sakuno became red on her comments.

"So make my daughter a very fine lady like you." Sakuno was getting worked up whenever she heard something endearment from her new found mother.

Lala giggled, "Leave it to me, Reina-dono. Come here Sakuno-san."

She came forward to the pretty lady, She was being examined thoroughly, "Humm, she doesn't have any problem about wearing her clothes. It fits her; I'll just help her on how to wear them properly and how to choose the right clothes to wear."

Sakuno became anxious when Lala examined her own whole body and mentioned the things that needed to be changed. Finally she stylist held her one long braided hair and said, "She needs haircut so that we can- "

Lala and her mother were both shocked when she suddenly distanced herself to them. Holding her pigtail in her hand, she pleaded,"N-no not the hair please. I'll do anything but please… d-don't cut the hair."

Reina asked her, "Why? Sakuno, your hair is too long. At least we should trim it."

Sakuno just strongly denied as she grip the hair tight, "I-I've been taking care of my hair ever since I can remember. Even Obaa-chan didn't touch it because I pleaded her not to," She looked at the two ladies in front of her. She saw the weird look on their faces so she continued her thoughts, which is the right thing to say, "Y-you can do anything… b-but not the haircut… please… m-mom… " she looked at her mother who was shocked when she called her that. Reina sighed after she heard that from her and said;

"Alright, you can keep your hair like that."

Sakuno was enlightened on her, "T-thank you very much."

"But you have to let it loose when we will have our shootings, gatherings, parties and such. I told you, you need a complete transformation and your hair is not an exception," Reina imparted, "Well, keeping your hair like that might give the idea to hide yourself from the press in the future gatherings." She added as she began talking to the stylist once again.

Sakuno was absorbing all her words. One of these days, she would be exposed to the world. Oh! What a life she was having. She was actually entering a complicated life, a complete opposite that she used to live. She was certain that troubles would come and get her. Would she be ready for that? She gripped both of her hands in front of her as she nodded to her mother when she faced her.

"Let's get your makeover started now. We don't have all day." Reina said getting back at her business tone.

"H-hai… " she politely obeyed her mother.

After two hours of transformation. Lala presented her in front of Reina. The lady's stoic face showed amusement that she couldn't hide when she saw her. She approached her daughter with so much excitement.

"Perfect, Sakuno. You're beautiful."

Sakuno blushed on her mother's comment, "T-thank you." she couldn't say anything or she would just offend her if she said something embarrassing. She changed her clothes from simple to elegant. The neckline blue dress fitted her down to her knee. The skirt has silver linings below covering the lower part of the hem. Her hair was loosened and it curled from being braided. Lala made a magic touch to her hair that it became so natural.

"Something's missing?... " Lala said as she thought hard. She flicked her fingers when she remembered, "I know, hold on a sec." She reached for the cabinet and took a small box from it. She opened it in front of the two. Reina was surprised to see the silver necklace and earrings inside while Sakuno couldn't believe what she was actually seeing. That's was totally priceless.

"I-I don't think I can wear that… i-it's so… priceless."

Lala approached her and said while wearing the necklace to her neck. The girl flinched that she couldn't protest on her actions, "this belongs to you now. Everything here belongs to you. Remember you are a Kitazawa now."

Sakuno looked at her mother and saw her nod, "She's right dear, get used to it."

She gripped both sides of her clothes as she accepting those jewelries. _This isn't me. This is not really me. _She thought while looking straight at the mirror, observing her own self.

After thanking the stylist, they went back to the car and headed for the next location, the photo company. They had been welcomed by the photo members inside. Everyone was looking at her that she felt embarrassed. They entered a room with nothing to see but shades of white colors around her. Reina's phone suddenly rang and she answered it. She waved at her to take the phone call and after a while, she looked back looking all pissed.

"Sorry Sakuno, There is a problem that is going on in my office. I need to go back there. I called your father about this. You bodyguard will come and pick you up later. Don't worry he's well known here so you don't have to worry." Reina explained everything to her at one blow,

Sakuno nodded, "I-I'am okay, don't worry about me, mother."

Reina nodded once again and touched her cheek. Sakuno felt at ease when she did that to her. She looked at her watch.

"It's 5:30 pm. It's getting late. Be sure to go home after the pictorial. This is your first appearance in the magazine." She walked away after that, making a phone call once again.

She looked at her mother. _This is going to be tough for me. I hope I can handle all of this._ She thought. Later on an average woman instructed her to sit while waiting. She was being informed that the photographer was not available due to a sudden trip. The photographer was not informed earlier that the Lady would pay him a visit so he called his son to take his place for the photo shoot.

_So I am going to meet the son instead of the father?_ She smiled while thinking that. She was not good at posing. She hoped that she would do well in the photo shoot later. She didn't wait long when the average woman appeared on the other door followed by a guy. She stood up as she was being approached by them. Her jaw dropped as her heart beat fast when she stared at the guy behind the average woman. The guy was looking down so he didn't see her but when the woman stopped walking; he looked up only to see a surprised lady in front of them. The average woman introduced the both of them without noticing the atmosphere;

"Milady, this is Fuji Syuusuke-san, Fuji-san this is Milady, Kitazawa Sakuno-sama."

* * *

**Done! Okay… there's a twist here. Sakuno met Fuji in his ****father's**** photo company. (His father is unnamed and never seen in the series. I kinda change his work here much to Fuji's one of his hobbies) What will the tennis tensai do while he was taking a break from his tennis? (No, practice didn't take place that very day. The explanation will be on the next chapter.)** **I hope you like it. Reviews please!**

**Thank you for the reviewers who keep sharing their thoughts and opinions about my story;**

**Hitsuzen Nakagauchi... Lyfa... animecouplelover... yukina-chan15... music4life1791... RikuDai... DearestELFriend... krisaku... Ryosaku12... Saphire122... MickymouseMinniemouse... Animew3... ulquihime7980... EchiZaki... LittleOrangeIsHere...**

**An unlimited thanks from me guys. Because of yours words that I motivate myself more and able to write good stories. I hope you keep bearing with me. Arigatou guzaimasu!**

**Fancy Lala – she was actually the singing girl in the anime Fancy Lala itself. I didn't plan on including her here but oh well, they needed a stylist won't they? I don't own the anime. Completely zero.**

**Reviews will much be appreciated by Mitsukijunko-san. Onegaishimasu! Domo Arigatou Guzaimasu!**

**Next Chapter: Little Secrets**


	6. Little Secrets

**Hi There! It's me again… Been ~dreaming on the radio~ mode… tee hee hee… Sorry for the 'a day delay' guys. I had some urgent business to do yesterday that I couldn't even sit in front of the computer. I only sat for 30 minutes today so, for the reviewers that I haven't replied yet, I will reply them all when I come back with the remaining hours. I just inserted a time just to post this chapter today. Please enjoy the next chapter… ^_^**

**krisaku - thank you tee hee... This is the next chapter. I hope you will enjoy this... ^_^**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own TeniPuri. That's loud and clear.**

* * *

**Chapter 6: Little Secrets**

**Chapter Summary: She insisted to hide it from them… still. The tensai knew a little… will he keep their little secrets still a secret from him.**

* * *

"Secrets will remain a secret if you don't tell anyone about it.

Don't wait for someone to discover… "

~Mitsukijunko

"Let's take a break!"

Fuji announced from his crew as he hung the Nikon camera to his neck. They wiped their sweat from their own towel. They walked to their desired location. Sakuno walked over to the bench and wiped her own sweat. She flinched when a cold bottle of water was jerked in front of her. She looked up only to see Fuji drinking his already.

She accepted it, "T-thank you."

Fuji nodded and sat beside her. She was still shocked when she discovered that it was Fuji's company that had been sponsoring by her parents. She was even shocked to see Fuji at such a short time. She wasn't even ready this.

"So," he started, "How are you doing?"

She was a bit shocked when the tennis tensai asked her, "I-I am doing fine."

"Everybody was shocked about you leaving Seigaku, Ryuzaki-chan," Fuji looked at the girl. The girl was looking down at her feet, "You transformed as well."

"E-everything is new to me… Fuji-senpai," She played with her bottle of water as she said her next words, "I- didn't plan on leaving the school. It's just that… I don't have a choice."

Fuji leaned on his back, "We all knew about it now, Ryuzaki-sensei told us… " he closed his eyes as if trying to say his next words carefully, "Actually, Tezuka asked Ryuzaki-sensei to postpone the practice today. He knew that the coach was having a hard time so he asked for a day off. Well, we understood her so here I am today… in place of my father.

Silence appeared between them. She apologized to her grandmother silently. Her heart was tolerating right now that she couldn't see everyone. How she wished that she could hold her tears back.

"Why didn't you say goodbye?" Fuji asked after breaking the silence.

"I can't do that," she answered still looking down, "It will only cause me… pain."

"We were upset I mean until now… Osakada-san was really upset that she cried a lot. We didn't see her acted like that, Ryuzaki-chan." Fuji said.

"I-I am sorry… Fuji-senpai. I just can't say it. I-I'll tell her when we see each other again," her eyes widened when realization came to her. She looked at the shocking tennis tensai and said her next words, "F-fuji-senpai please don't tell anyone that we met."

Fuji wondered, "B-but why? Don't you want them to know?"

Sakuno shook her head, "I know that they are mad at me. I just can't face them… at least not yet."

"Even Ryuzaki-sensei?"

She was shocked when he asked her that. She looked down once again and said, "E-even Obaa-chan."

Fuji thought hard and signed afterwards, "Alright, but you have to promise me that you will keep me updated."

"Eh?"

"I'll keep you updated to our activities and training everyday so you'll do yours." Fuji commented.

She stared at the tennis tensai. He had a point. With that get up, she could get in touch with everyone… with him. She smiled at him and nodded. He was really a tensai indeed. They exchanged numbers afterwards. And after a few minutes they resumed on their photo shooting.

**xxx**

She changed her wardrobe by Reina's orders from the phone. She was wearing a light pink gown shoulder-length with silver and shiny lining with each layer. A beautiful yet small pink ribbon was attached to her waist. She kept her wavy and curly hair from her back. Fuji positioned her beside the elegant table. He instructed her to clasp both her hands down in front of her while looking at the table. She was facing the camera to her side so the lens was almost facing her back emphasizing the ribbon and the length of her gown. He placed his orb to the lens when he thought of something;

"Echizen was upset as well."

"Eh?" she looked to his direction, with the shocking, yet painful look on her face.

'click'

"Keep looking at me." he said as he kept on taking pictures of her.

Sakuno followed him but his words were definitely invading her mind. So, Ryoma was upset. Was it because she broke her promise to him? That could be the case. Maybe the tennis tensai was wrong about that… Ryoma thought of her as a liar. She knew it and he was probably mad at her right now.

"When he learned about your disappearance which we only discovered today; he secretly left our training and went somewhere… probably looking for you." Fuji explained between his shots.

"T-that can't be… " She couldn't believe what she was hearing right now.

"Keep your smile on the lens."

Sakuno nodded as she smiled. She was gone for almost three days and it brought a big impact to them. She made a lot of people upset because of her.

Fuji instructed her to seat on the chair beside her and leaned her right elbow on the table. She supported her face by placing her right hand on her cheek. The other hand was place on top of the table. The other crew fixed her gown below and when Fuji was satisfied, they continued shooting.

"We will never know what is going to happen in the future, but be sure to contact them when you are ready." Fuji said taking some pictures of her.

"H-hai."

"We can not keep our little secrets forever. Remember that this is MY father's company. They will know eventually."

"I-I'm aware of that," Sakuno said looking at the lens.

"Give me your best smile, Ryuzaki-chan." The girl tried but he knew that the girl was somewhat bothered on what he said. He gave the best solution;

"Knowing Echizen, he will not put everything in place until he knows where to put it."

Sakuno tilted her head. She didn't know what he meant by that. Fuji continued as he read her thoughts;

"He has a sharp mind but he is not a guru who can predict everything."

"F-fuji-senpai?"

"He trusts you."

Her eyes widened. She lifted her face a little from her right hand causing her a little cute from the lens. He took that picture of hers. He continued speaking;

"No matter what you tell him, he will definitely understand you."

That made her realized something. He was right after all. He could be the most stoic person she met but he genuinely showed concern to her. She tilted her head a little to her right and smiled naturally.

"Hai."

'click'

He put the camera down from his eye and stared at the smiling girl, "Perfect."

**xxx**

It was 7pm when the shooting was finished. Not long before, two men entered the room. They were both dressed in blue suit. The older man was looking all scary and she felt that something odd from him. Fuji felt something suspicious as well. The average man was a bit stoic and not even showing his smile to them but they didn't feel any creep when they look at him.

"Greetings milady," the older man bowed in front of them, "Drosselmeye at your service, this is my assistant, Fakir. We are going to be your bodyguards from now on."

Fuji whistled when Sakuno blushed, "You really are a big time here, Ryuzaki-chan."

"Hey, you!" the older man pointed his index finger at Fuji, "Don't address my mistress like that. She was no longer known by that name."

Sakuno felt sad about that. Right. She was no longer a Ryuzaki anymore. She looked down.

"Even though you said that, she is always be OUR Ryuzaki." Fuji said in the calming voice.

Sakuno looked at him and smiled. She was very thankful at her senpai. Not everyone would forget her origins.

"Mistress, we should get going now." The average man said as he gestured the exit.

Sakuno nodded at Fakir and turned to the tennis tensai, "Thank you for everything Fuji-senpai. I should be going now."

"Take care of yourself. And don't forget to call me, okay." Fuji said to her.

"H-hai." She bowed for the last time before leaving the room. It was so good to meet Fuji that time and sad at the same time. She was thankful still that she could get in touch with everyone at Seigaku with the help of the tennis tensai.

She was a bit surprised to see more bodyguards outside the company. She shouldn't be like that; instead she should expect that something like this would happen. Really her new life was something that she needed to get used to… forcefully.

They reached the mansion not long ago. She thanked Drosselmeye and Fakir for escorting her reminding her that she didn't have to do that for it was their task to do. She heaved a big sigh after she was left by them to Hayate.

"Welcome back, mistress." Hayate said to her.

"T-thank you… Hayate-san." She blushed.

Hayate reacted, "Really, mistress please no more honorifics."

"Mous, we talked about this before," Sakuno pouted a little, "It's not that easy. And I insist to call you that."

"But."

"No buts, please… that is all I am asking from you."

Hayate sighed after that but smiled awkwardly, "I-if you say so."

Hayate escorted her to her parent's room to announce her arrival. After a series of conversation and dinner they shared she was being dismissed by her parents. She was being escorted once again to her room. Actually, she was very thankful to Hayate. If she would go to her own room alone, she would definitely lose her way. She thanked the butler when they got to her room. Ahiru was already there fixing her bed.

"It's alright, Ahiru-chan. Y-you can rest now."

Ahiru was a bit shocked on what she addressed to her but composed afterwards. The maid nodded as she bowed and left her room. When she was certain that her personal maid was nowhere to be found, she ran to the balcony and called a certain name in a whispered tone;

"Capella-kun!"

Not long ago, the little boy appeared in front of her with the large grin on his face, "Sakuno-onee-chan." The little boy ran to her and hugged her tightly. Sakuno giggled on the affection he showed to her.

"Have you been a good boy the whole day?"

"Un." The boy smiled happily, "I did what you tell me and it went right."

Sakuno smiled back at him, "See, I told you." she bend down at his level and wiped some dirt on his face, "you should clean your face after work, okay."

Capella nodded continuously, "nee-chan."

"hmm." She replied still wiping his face.

Capella became serious as he asked something from her, "Why are you… being so nice to me?"

Sakuno stopped wiping his face and looked at him. She pinched his face playfully and smiled, "because you are so very nice and you are cute. I like to take care of you like my own little brother."

"Riiilly? (really?)" Capella said making a funny face on her.

Sakuno giggled, "Reeeeally." To her surprised, the little boy hugged her tightly. The boy didn't say anything but she understood him. He felt the same as well. She gave him some cookies like she did every night. No one knew that Capella was visiting her since her first night at the mansion or else he would be in big trouble. It was another secret that they both have to keep.

* * *

**Tuesday Morning at Seishun Gakuen:**

He was working out that early in the morning. Facing the wall and hitting the ball through it… fiercely. He put everything between his racket and the ball. Every hit was strong and he didn't care if his arm would get tired and worn out. He didn't seem to care if he hurt both of his arms as if he was still competing with Akutsu Jin years ago. He focused on how to improve his skills not going on rampage… not getting furious… absolutely NOT.

"Don't blame it on the wall, Echizen."

He caught the ball using his racket on his last volley. He looked behind him. He saw Fuji standing near him holding his racket on his shoulder. He walked through the training area and approached him;

"You didn't sleep well, did you?"

He reacted a little, "what do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. Why don't you just admit it?" Fuji said trying to get to the point.

Ryoma closed his eyes as he played the ball on the edge of his racket. He walked away from him and said, "What is there to admit? I don't even know what you are talking about?"

"You miss her."

His eyes snapped open and stopped walking at the same time. The ball fell on the ground meaning that he lost his concentration. He turned around to face his senpai;

"Stop saying such nonsense things. I miss who?" he retorted keeping the same tempo of his voice.

"Your words are not cooperating with your actions."

Ryoma didn't have the chance to reply when the other regulars came to see the fuss.

"Hoi, hoi, what's happening here?" Eiji said switching his look between them.

"What's with that look, Echizen? Momo noticed on his shocked reaction.

Ryoma regained his old self as he closed his eyes and said nothing but, "che."

"Are you sure you're okay, Echizen?" Kawamura asked him wearing a concern look on his face.

"I am fine."

"What happened, Fuji?" Eiji asked the tennis tensai. But Fuji only shrugged.

"I think I know." Momo interrupted placing his hand to his chin. Eiji approached him and asked childishly;

"Ne, what is it? What is it? What is it?" he asked repeatedly.

Momo grinned wildy but he didn't answer his senpai's repeated question, "So young, so young."

_That word again._ Ryoma thought. He was getting irritated by his senpai's compliment. Why are they interrupting his _private _life anyway? It was not their business to mind after all.

Fuji just stared at the non-changeable reaction of his young kouhai. He shook his head as he examined his facial expression which was useless to hide. _Nice, I think she will help him develop more emotions on him. Appear in front of him once again, Ryuzaki-chan._ He thought playing Mr. Safe in the story. He watched the other regulars trying to get the real story.

They were about to interrogate more when Oishi called them behind.

"Hey, it's time to practice. Gather around at the court, now!"

Everyone nodded and as they left the area one by one. Since Fuji was the one left behind next to Ryoma, he called the young tennis prodigy once again;

"Echizen… "

The young tennis prodigy turned to face him. Fuji waited for the others to walk a bit further away from them. Ryoma interrupted when he was not saying anything;

"If you are not going to say anything then don't call my name all of the sudden." he was about to move when Fuji blurted out his words;

"What will you do if I tell you that I actually saw Ryuzaki-chan yesterday?"

He didn't move but he reacted. He actually reacted as he stay stunned in his location. His eyes were a bit wide but he was able to hide it. He hoped that he could hide it from his senpai in front of him. He held his grip tighter when Fuji continued talking;

"What are you going to do if I tell you that I know where she is?"

* * *

**Okay, it's done! The regulars will bug the young kouhai next… at least they will do it. Anyway I hoped you like this chapter. **

**Just Sharing: I thought that I saw Ponta este Fanta in the shop that I went yesterday but it was Pokka instead tee hee hee… Well I've been searching for the drink that I didn't even know that I have been drinking Fanta all this time. If you know what I mean. Our own Fanta guys… Royal Tru! ^_^**

**Drosselmeye – The main antagonist of the Anime Princess Tutu. He controlled everything even the story of the protagonists from the anime.**

**Fakir – The knight in the story, also from the anime Princes Tutu. He was the closest friend of the Prince Mytho on the story. He was able to write stories of Duck or Ahiru from the anime. And I believe that he was better to be her knight than Mytho… isn't he?**

**I don't own Princess Tutu. Just sharing the animes that I like. Special acknowledgement for the animes that I used in the story. **

**Thank you for reading and please leave a review even it's only a word or two. I will truly appreciate it. ^_^ **

**Next Chapter: Fateful Meeting**


	7. Fateful Meeting

**My mind was filled with karaoke/instrumental songs lately. Junko you rock! Ok! Next chapter is up now. I know that it is my hobby to write something before I start. I hope that you won't get fed up with my get up… Anyway... please enjoy chapter 7. Tabun… ^_^**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Tenipuri. It is crystal clear.**

* * *

**Chapter 7: Fateful Meeting**

**Chapter Summary: The both ends of their thread might probably lead them to different directions but somehow a fate cut the line between them.**

* * *

"What will you do if I tell you that I actually saw Ryuzaki-chan yesterday?"

He didn't move but he reacted. He actually reacted as he stay stunned in his location. His eyes were a bit wide but he was able to hide it. He hoped that he could hide it from his senpai in front of him. He held his grip tighter when Fuji continued talking;

"What are you going to do if I tell you that I know where she is?"

Silence erupted between them.

He couldn't read his senpai's mind whether he was telling the truth or not. If it was true, what he would do? It was not his business anyway. Thinking that his senpai was only making fun of him, he closed his eyes and retorted, "Stop making fun of me. It's not even April fool's."

"Really, Echizen. You really don't buy anything I say to you."

"Then stop saying weird things that I won't believe." He said as he continued walking to exit the training area.

* * *

**One Month and two weeks later:**

"BIG NEWS! BIG NEWS! EVERYONE!" Eiji came running waving a magazine in his hand. He entered the court that morning and made the others stop doing their warm ups, "This magazine was just released today. Mitte! Mitte!"

Sumire looked at the magazine and was surprised to see who the front cover was. It was Sakuno wearing a light pink gown shoulder-length with silver and shiny lining with each layer. Her hair was down and curly. Her expression was shocked and she looked pain all over her face. But she was beautiful in that photo. Below her front picture there were words saying, THE LONG LOST DAUGHTER OF KITAZAWA FINALLY APPEARED!

Everyone looked at the picture she was holding and had the same reaction except Fuji.

"I-is this Ryuzaki-chan?" Momo said, "she's… different."

"Yeah… totally a princess now." Eiji agreed on his kouhai.

"Her appearance will definitely be heated on the crowd now that she was finally revealed." Inui said while fixing his glasses.

Ryoma was the last one to get a hold of the magazine. He stared at the girl in the picture, examining every angle of hers. She changed… a total transformation. But he noticed something from her pictures. _She looked having a hard time here. _He thought as he turned the other pages. He was a bit surprised to see lots of her pictures there. She wore two sets of clothes from that magazine but what caught him was the one picture of her which was almost covered the whole page of the magazine. The girl was supporting her face with her fidgeted right finger while tilting her head a little to the left… the girl was smiling… genuinely. There were also words below indicating, KITAZAWA SAKUNO, THE HEIRESS PRINCESS OF THE YEAR.

"Do you know what made her smile like that?"

He looked back to see Fuji behind him. The tennis tensai was looking at the picture of Sakuno that he was holding. He retorted, "What do you mean by that?"

Fuji smirked on his question but he asked differently, "Who knows?" he walked away afterwards leaving him with lots of questions running in his head.

Everyone except Tezuka and Fuji looked at the picture once again. They had their own reactions on Sakuno's sudden change of life. Ryoma didn't get to hold the magazine anymore so he left the crowd and continued doing his warm ups. _She has her life. So be it._

* * *

**At the mansion:**

"Sakuno you will have your first public appearance at Omotesando Hills this coming Sunday." Reina reminded her about the next event. They were having their dinner that time.

She was shocked all right. It was her first appearance as an heiress. That thought her, why does she need to show herself in public? It would only get things worse if she did that. To kill her curiosity she asked her mother, "M-mom… w-why do I… need to show myself?"

Reinja answered instead, "We are not doing this to boast to the people. We are just being pressured about having a daughter of our own. The press would definitely discover that we adopted you so we made the initiative instead."

"Even though we thought of keeping you secretly despite out status, we know that it is impossible." Reina continued.

Sakuno nodded. She understood them. They were aware that she was not good at facing people. They taught her some etiquette during the month she stayed at the mansion. She was still adjusting and doing that was pretty hard. She hoped that her public appearance at the mall would be successful.

She excused herself after dinner. She bowed to Hayate who was escorting her back to her room. She lost her way a couple of times when she tried to walk by herself inside the mansion. Capella, Fakir or Ahiru was the person who would always find her whenever she was lost. And that was totally embarrassing. She had her lessons for a month already. She had complete academic subjects like those ones being taught at Seigaku. But she only needed to punish if she made mistakes as her parents instructed her private tutor to do so. She was also being taught about proper standings and walkings through the mansion, a proper eating habits, way of speaking etc. The hardest was indeed still English. She sighed as she remembered all those trainings and lecturing. It was all difficult for her to get by. Her reverie was distracted when she heard a voice crying, a familiar voice to be exact. She ran to that direction where the voice was and Hayate followed her. She saw Capella crying on the floor while the large lady was hitting him with a whip. She was shocked on the scene she was seeing at that moment. Without hesitation, she ran to them and held the lady's hand with both of her hands. The lady was shocked and so as Capella.

"M-mistress?" the large lady couldn't believe what she was doing.

"What are you doing to the poor boy, Kraehe-san?" Sakuno asked the lady.

"L-let go please, Mistress. This boy committed a mistake so he needs to be punished." The lady looked at the poor boy once again. He boy slid backwards with a frightened look on his face.

Hayate looked everywhere and saw a broken vase nearby. _He must have broken that vase._

"He's just five years old. Can't you punish him in a different way? Hitting him like this is not a good idea." Sakuno said as she took the whip from her hands.

"I am only doing my job, Mistress." Kraehe said defending herself from her, "It is not something that I couldn't do."

"Then if he made another mistake, tell me. I will be the one to punish him." Sakuno tried for a solution.

"Miss Kraehe, don't worry about it. The vase can be replaced. I'll just ask Mr. Fakir to get one for us." Hayate butted in.

The large lady sighed big and said her words, "Okay, if you said so," she bowed in front of her, "My apologies mistress."

Sakuno waved her hands in front of her, "N-no… don't bow. I should apologize to you as well."

"My mistress, you still can't get used to formalities, can you?" Hayate asked her. Kraehe just sweat dropped.

While blushing she looked down, "Hai… "

After the lady left and asked Hayate that she would go back to her room with Capella she looked at the crying boy. She went near him and said, "Look at you, you are messy."

Capella just cried more and hugged her tightly. "Sakuno-onee-chan! I didn't mean to break the vase. It was an accident."

She tapped his back to comfort him, "Easy now, I know it's not your fault," she continued tapping his back. When she noticed that Capella calmed down, she released him, "hey, what about going out with me this coming Sunday?"

Capella's face enlightened, "r-really? B-but will they… "

"Don't worry, I'll ask mom and dad for permission," She said. Capella started to grin once again. It made her at ease when she saw him smile like that, "Now come on and let's tend your wounds."

They walked to her room after that.

* * *

**Next morning:**

"Echizen, can I have a minute with you?" Sumire called the attention of the young tennis prodigy. The boy walked over to her and she said her words, "Your manager from U.S. called me. He is going to pay a visit for a day and he will hold a press conference about you."

"Press conference?" He retorted. He hated that word ever since he was born.

"Don't worry. You are not the one who is going to speak, he is," Sumire said to him, "You just need to support him there."

"che." He looked away, "why do I need to do that?"

Sumire became a bit furious. She pinched both of his cheeks as she said her words, "because he is your manager, you idiot. Now go out there and support him, Okay."

"A-alright, alright, geez." He said while rubbing his cheeks, "So where and when is it?"

"Sunday, near the Shibuya Station. Your manager will call you for the exact location. Probably he will meet you there instead." Sumire explained.

"Ne, ne, Sensei, Can we go with Ochibi?" Eiji said who was eavesdropping.

"The place will be crowded. I don't think that you could even peek a little." Sumire doubted.

Momo butted in and said, "Don't worry sensei, we will protect Echizen." he arched his elbow to the boy.

"Momo-senpai, you—re heavy, let—go." Ryoma said trying to get away from his senpai.

"This will be interesting." Inui said while scribbling something in his notebook.

While everyone was busy doing their thing, Fuji took out his cellphone and texted something;

'Echizen is having a press conference with his manager. He is more popular now, isn't he?'

He sent his message to a certain someone after a few minutes of waiting he received a reply.

'Really, I wish him luck. I am nervous senpai because I am having my first public appearance. I'll tell you the details when it is all clear to me.'

He smirked when he read her message. _You are doing fine. I hope that a miracle will happen between the two of you._ He thought as he looked at the youngest member of the club who was having his stoic reaction on his face.

Everyone stopped when they hear Tezuka spoke, "Everyone! Go back to practice! Eiji! Momo! Echizen! 50 laps around the court, now!"

"Hai!" they said in unison.

* * *

**Sunday:**

Eiji was already pissed in their location. Everyone was present except Sumire, Oishi and Tezuka who were doing something else. Fuji wasn't there as well for they couldn't contact him for an unknown reason. Omotesando Hills was awfully crowded than the usual.

"Mou! This place is so crowded. Where is Ochibi anyway?" Eiji complained while they were being squeezed from the crowd.

"Fssh… " Kaidoh hissed, "Sensei already reminded that this place will be crowded."

"Why are you here then?" Momo retorted, "If you don't feel like supporting Echizen, you should go home already."

"What did you say? And where is this promise of yours that you will protect Echizen?" Kaidoh complained back at him.

"Hey! Watch what you're saying, mamushi." The two started to fight in the crowd.

"Hey, stop that you two." Eiji tried to stop them. Kawamura and Inui helped him. Not for long, the conference started. They saw Ryoma's manager and him as well. Eiji made a scene;

"OCHIBI! NICE ONE! DON'T FORGET ABOUT US. OKAY!"

Ryoma reacted on his senpai. He saw how his senpais tried to stop the acrobatic player from acting wild but Kawamura joined him when he held his racket. The young tennis prodigy sweat dropped. _Pretend that you don't know them. _He thought to himself while looking away from them. The conference will be held for an hour. He was going to be so bored as he could predict it.

* * *

**Meanwhile:**

"Is… this for me?" she was holding a cell phone strap accessory, atennis racket with a ball to be precise that Capella gave her. They were inside the mall already with him and her bodyguards. Her parents couldn't make it because of the unexpected events that day. She was being escorted with bodyguards instead.

"Hai, onee-chan," the boy smiled, "I knew that you like tennis a lot because I always see you watching matches everyday."

"Sou ka," she blushed when she thought of someone, "Arigatou, Capella-kun."

Capella grinned at her. She was wearing a simple get up today. Since she was appearing publicly, Reina and Ahiru decided on what to wear by looking at her wardrobe. Even though it was simple the clothing was definitely priceless. She was wearing an all white dress that was above knee level with a collapsible belt. She wore a black cardigan on top to blend the color equally. Her heels were styled as gladiator sandals. Her hair was down with two ponytails both side of her temple. She was simple yet elegant.

She reached the stage and was so shocked to see a lot of people waiting for her. She blushed when they started to take pictures of her. She was asked different questions like 'when were she was doing all these years?,' 'why appeared only now?,' 'where were you these past years?' on her. She panicked and didn't know what to do. The bodyguards were blocking their way so that no one could approach her. She hoped that everything would turn out fine… at least.

**xxx**

He was pissed already. He was promised by his manager that he wouldn't answer any question today. But why was he answering some questions now. And when he was done answering the final question he stood up and said his qoodbyes to the reporters.

"I'll take my leave then." He bowed to his manager.

"Wait Echizen! We are not done here yet." The manager said to him.

"It's done," Ryoma said starting to walk from him, "You broke your promise so I'll leave now."

He left the crowd including the wondered manager. He was questioned a lot of things so he couldn't follow his talent. He continued talking in front of the press and told them about his plan about the grand slams that Ryoma was going to join next year.

He started to walk away from the crowd. He couldn't see his senpais from that crowd so he took a different route. _They will notice that I'm not longer there. They can take care of themselves anyway._ He thought.

Much to his dismayed some reporters followed him. Not only that, some people who were there for shopping spotted him and decided to follow him instead. He quickened his pace hoping that he could get away from them but the more he did, the more they caught up to him. He closed his eyes as he gritted his teeth. He decided to run afterwards as he whispered something;

"Annoying people."

**xxx**

She walked backwards as the crowd was getting wild. She was beginning to worry as they wanted to have a closer look of her. She could hear about their compliments of her like beautiful, shy, innocent and kind. Some talked in English that she could barely understand. She panicked in mind;

_I-is this how a person deal with reporters and such. I-I don't think I can handle all of this._ She clasped her hands in front of her. She almost screamed when someone held her hand when she put them down sideways.

"Onee-chan!" Capella whispered to her ear when she bent down.

"W-what is it?"

"Come with me."

"Eh?!"

He pulled her backstage without getting everyone's attention including her bodyguards. She let him lead their way, "Hurry onee-chan."

"C-capella-kun, S-slow down! I can't keep up with your pace." She tried to speak while running. He was incredibly good at running for such an early age. She almost tripped for several times because Capella kept dragging her.

The mall was a total mess. There were reporters everywhere and she couldn't notice all of them. Were they here for her public appearance? She couldn't guess if that was the reason. Everytime they encountered some ahead of them, Capella just found a safe route. It seems that the boy was been here before.

"I used to shop with my mother here 6 months ago." Capella looked at her. For an unknown reason she saw pain on his face. Right. Where was his mother?

That question was never answered as they turned to a corner of the mall. Capella was the one to bump with someone when he turned from that corner. Because Capella stopped in front of her, she bumped from the little boy's back causing the two of them to fall on their back. The person that they collided also fell down.

Her eyes were closed as she was touching her back, "T-that hurts… " she complained. She opened her eyes slowly and looked for Capella. She saw him touching his back as well. Still recovering from the collision, she looked at the person in front of them. The person was looking down so she couldn't see the person's face because of the hat.

_T-that hat…_ she stared at the hat in front of her. Her eyes widened and gasped really hard when the person's face lifted in front of her, giving the same reaction to her.

Capella looked at them curiously. He stared at the boy who was staring at his big sister, looking all surprised. No one said a word even him didn't know what to say.

They stayed there staring at each other trying to remember what happened. Out of surprised, they both spoke at the same time;

"Ryuzaki?... / R-Ryoma-kun… "

* * *

**Done! Okay, was that unexpected? Sorry guys, the real thing will be next week. They finally met coincidentally for the moment. What's going to happen next? Sorry but I have to keep that for now and leave you all in suspense. Stay tuned for RyoSaku moments in the future chapters… What did you think of this chapter? Need to know guys… Onegaishimasu!**

**My new one shot will be posted next week. Well if you are going to like it. Just let me know and maybe... just maybe I will make it for a double... Thanks... ^_^**

**Reviews please! A word or two will definitely make me happy. Please don't keep your thoughts to yourself. Mitsukijunko needs motivation. Arigatou!**

**Mata Raishuu!**

**Next Chapter: No More Silent Goodbyes. **


	8. No More Silent Goodbyes

**Hi there! I'm back with my new chapter. When I am writing this one, right this very chapter, I am so excited. I hope that you will feel the same when you read this. For the reviewers who are waiting for this chapter, please enjoy… I hope… Dou so!**

**LittleOrangeIsHe - hi... I wrote you a message here in case you won't be able to see my massage on your profile. It is okay... And wow... you are singing and competing as well good luck... It's also been a while since I played tennis... my work is holding me back from playing though... and thank you... you can send some updates for your stories if you like as well... and this is the continuation... I hope you like it... ^_^ **

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Prince of Tennis**

* * *

**Chapter 8: No More Silent Goodbyes**

**Chapter Summary: Things weren't the way she expected to happen. She's having an adventure with him and she found it amusing… but will he forgive her for disappearing like that?**

* * *

They were staring at each other. Both were speechless due to shock. No one noticed them yet in that corner as if they were busy in their own world.

He stared at her. He tried to examine himself. His heart was normal though it was beating a little faster. Was it because of the girl in front of him? She was Sakuno, the girl who disappeared without telling goodbyes to anyone. It's true the girl changed completely but he could recognize her and he didn't know why he could. He was not good at remembering people especially if it was a total make over. The girl was blushing and the thought that she was still clumsy as ever. Maybe that was the reason why.

Her heart felt like jumping out of her chest when she saw him in front of her. Of all the people, why would she encounter Ryoma at such a short period of time? She was not ready to face him yet. The boy was staring at her that made her blush a lot. It was more embarrassing that he saw her as a total different person now. She should expect that in the future but not this soon. She was panicking inside her mind and she didn't know how to react. The boy wasn't doing anything as well.

Capella on the other hand was having a curious look between them. The little boy stared at him and was trying to recognize the boy in front of him. His face suddenly enlightened when he finally remembered something. He was the one who reacted catching the attention of the two.

"Ahh!" Capella pointed a finger at Ryoma, "Y-you are the guy Sakuno-onee-chan is watching on TV everyday."

Sakuno held her breath when Capella said that. She was blushing already and Capella added oil to the fire. She approached the little boy and covered his mouth;

"C-c-capella-kun! S-stop saying such embarrassing things." she panicked as she looked at Ryoma. The boy was shocked as well because of Capella's words. Well the tension was subsided a little because of Capella's words but it was still there.

"Hmmm," Ryoma hummed killing the tension between them, "So you are watching me from afar."

…Or not. She blushed more because of that. Capella was struggling because her hand was still in his mouth, but she didn't notice it yet.

They heard a sudden commotion around them;

"Find the mistress, quick!" Sakuno looked to her right. They almost saw them heading towards their direction. She panicked and didn't know what to do.

"This way! I knew Mr. Echizen went this way!" Ryoma looked behind him. It was the same situation earlier. They wouldn't let him go as long as they could feel his presence. Due to reflexes, he put his hat to Sakuno's head and at the same time grabbed her hand that was covering the little boy's mouth and exclaimed;

"Come with me."

Sakuno was shocked on his words, "E-eh?"

Without waiting for reply, he helped her stand up and faced the little boy afterwards.

"ohhf!" Capella made a sound when Ryoma grabbed his waist and carried him with his other hand like a small log.

They started to run to some corners reassuring that there weren't reporters approaching them. Sakuno was panicking all the same. He was taking her to somewhere—no they were escaping from the reporters. She knew that Ryoma hated reporters and she understood him finally.

"W-what are you doing here?" she asked him unconsciously and it was too late to hold her words back.

"I am having my press conference here," Ryoma said still running and carrying the both of them, "What about you?"

"I-I am having my… f-first public appearance… here."

"Hmmm." He hummed once again.

She remembered Fuji's words about Ryoma having a press conference today as well. But she didn't realize that he was having the event at the same venue as hers. What a small world this was.

They continued running inside the mall but they weren't getting anywhere. The reporters and Sakuno's bodyguards wouldn't leave them alone. Sakuno almost screamed when they were blocked by a certain person before they turned into a corner. She recognized the average man in front of them.

"F-fakir-kun… " She whispered. Ryoma heard her say the man's name who was about their same age, probably a year or two years older than them. He put Capella down while he was blocking Sakuno's way between them, showing the stoic face in front of the guy.

Fakir was staring at them. He saw how Sakuno was worried for the both of them, particularly of the boy in front of him. His thoughts were distracted when Drosselmeyer called his attention from a distance;

"Hey! Fakir, have you seen the mistress yet?"

He saw the boy panicked when they heard Drosselmeyer's words. He looked at his boss' side and then returned to them in an instant;

"No sire! No yet!" From the panicked look, their reaction turned to curiosity, "I'll search further sire." He shouted looking back at him.

"You better be. Hey! Search further, you freak! Why can't you find a single mistress?" Drosselmeyer shouted to the other bodyguards.

Fakir looked at them when Drosselmeyer disappeared from his sight, "Fifteen minutes."

"Eh?" She wondered.

"I'll give you fifteen minutes, mistress." Fakir said and leaned closer to them, "and then, I'll come and fetch you."

Sakuno was a bit enlightened because of Fakir's generosity. He was giving them some time to talk. She nodded with delight.

"Capella," he called the little boy. He gave something to him, "Keep it with you. When fifteen minutes are over press the button, okay. I'll come and find you before Sir Drosselmeyer does."

"Hai! Leave it to me, Onii-chan." Capella nodded.

Fakir looked at Ryoma, "I'll leave the mistress to you… for a while."

Ryoma smirked, "I owe you one."

Fakir just nodded. Capella caught Ryoma's attention;

"Hey! Nii-chan! This way! I know a safe place to hide." The little boy said and started to run. Without wasting any more time, he followed the little boy dragging Sakuno along.

"Arigatou, Fakir-kun." She was able to say her words before disappearing from his sight. The young knight sighed deep and continued 'searching' for them.

**xxx**

She was breathing hard when they reach the top of the building. She placed both of her hands to her knees thinking that she could catch her breath by doing that. Capella closed the door behind them. Sakuno looked around. The place was nice; she didn't realize that there was such a place in this mall. Capella was beginning to get excited because it was new to him… new to her as well. She looked at the boy in front of her. She was facing his back. The tense came back once again. The boy sat to the nearest bench and took out a can of ponta inside his bag. Sakuno sat beside him and waiting for him to say anything but the boy didn't say a single word. Their time was running out. What were they going to talk about anyway? There were lots. She could sense that Ryoma wanted to know her reason but how was she going to start?

"Nii-chan?" Capella stood in front of them before they even realized. The boy fidgeted and blushing all over.

Ryoma could see how the little boy stared at his drink. He stretched his ponta towards him. The little boy became happy and grabbed the can from him and started to run.

"C-capella-kun! That's not nice." Sakuno scolded him.

"It's okay. He's an energetic kid, huh?" Ryoma said.

Sakuno nodded, "His name's Capella. He is keeping me company and makes my days a bit happier."

"Souka." He said. They watched the boy drank the can swiftly. Once again, the mood was tense. No one said a word for a series of silence. Sakuno looked down. She didn't know how to explain everything to him. Actually she didn't know how to start.

"You lied to me."

She looked at him in an instant. The boy was still staring at Capella. She looked down again as she replied;

"I-I am sorry."

"Apology not accepted."

She gasped when he said that. So Ryoma couldn't forgive her. It was unforgivable after all and she understood him;

"I-I understand."

He looked at the girl without her noticing. It was transparent, the pain she had on her face. He sighed and said his next words;

"I can forgive you."

"Eh?" she looked at him.

"If you will keep your promise to me," he looked at the girl this time, "Next time we meet, the bento."

The girl was blushing again, alright. She nodded for confirmation. He saw that her expression changed so it was fine after all.

"H-how is everybody?" Sakuno asked later.

"Fine." He replied shortly.

"I-I see." She remembered. She was talking to a guy with few words if she forgotten about it.

"You can visit them if you want to know." He added.

"I-I'll do that. I'll visit everyone," Sakuno said looking up above. The sky was tremendously awesome and beautiful. She didn't know that Ryoma was staring at her for a long time until he caught her attention;

"Hey… " He made her look at him, "you changed a lot."

She reacted on his words, "This isn't me, Ryoma-kun."

Ryoma blinked on his words, "who are you then?"

"Mou! Y-you don't understand. This isn't me anymore," Sakuno looked away from him, "I am scared that I-I am losing myself if this continues. And I don't want that."

Ryoma looked at her once again and then it was his turn to look at the sky;

"Don't change then."

"Eh?"

"You might be wearing clothes that you're not used to but keep your old self with you," he closed his eyes and continued, "they are just clothes, it doesn't reflect to your real self."

"Ryoma-kun… "

He looked at her once again and continued, "Do not let your guard down."

Her eyes widened as he said to him. He was right. It was still her decision whether she would change or not. She would definitely choose what would make her happy. She smiled as she replied to him;

"Thank you."

Ryoma was a bit shocked at first but smiled later on, "che."

Silence was present once again. Ryoma had the ability to make things awkward for her, though the boy didn't know that. She fidgeted with her fingers in front of her lap. She didn't notice that Ryoma was staring at her hands for a while. She almost screamed when the boy suddenly grabbed her right hand without warning;

"What were you doing all this time?" he asked her.

She blushed as he was examining her hand. Her hand had fainted red mark and scratches on it. She abruptly pulled her hand from him and said, "Uhmm… n-nothing, it's just that. I-I was being punished for making lots of mistakes… f-from my lessons."

Ryoma stared at both of her hands as if he was thinking of something and then looked at her and asked, "English lessons?"

Her eyes widened. Bull's eye. She sweat dropped as she replied, "H-hai… "

Ryoma smirked, "mada mada dane, Ryuzaki." He yanked something from his pocket that she didn't notice because she was still looking down on the ground.

_I hate to admit it but… I kind of miss his catchphrase. _She thought as she blushed a lot. She panicked once again when Ryoma reached for her right hand and applied something cold on her hand;

"Apply this ointment whenever you have this kind of wound." He said and aimed for her left hand which had the same wound and applied the same amount of the ointment there, "You are clumsy but not as much as this, learn to take care of yourself."

She stared at him for a long while. Ryoma was worried about her? Impossible... Although he said 'clumsy' she could sense such concern from his voice. She flushed red when he was done tending her wounds and looked at her. Ryoma put the ointment in her hand and bashfully thanked the boy.

"…Mistress." Ryoma suddenly said.

"D-don't call me that."

Ryoma smirked on her, "They call you mistress, even that Fakir guy."

"I-it was against my will. I-I simply don't want that." she looked down on the ground, "D-don't call me that." she pleaded once again.

"Hn." He replied shortly. He stared at the blushing girl, probing her entire appearance. _It's true. Her clothes are the only thing that changed but not her personality. That's good. _His eyes laid on her face without her noticing. There was something is his eyes that changed but Sakuno didn't know that.

Without them noticing, Capella was looking at them for quite a while now. He finished drinking _his_ ponta long ago. And saw the atmosphere between them.

"Sakuno-onee-chan?" he caught the attention of the two, "could it be that… he is your boyfriend?"

The two both reacted. Ryoma was about to touch the brim of his hat and he remembered that he gave his hat to the girl a while ago. The girl stood up and saw her blushed a lot.

"Capella-kun, h-he's not my- why are you saying such embarrassing things lately."

He noticed something moving in her pocket of her cardigan. Before she walked to Capella, he swiftly grabbed the thing without her noticing.

She approached the teasing boy and whispered, "D-don't embarrass me in front of him, please Capella-kun. A-and you are so young to blurt something like that"

Capella was cheerfully replied to her ear in more embarrassing words, "You like him don't you?"

Her face became redder than usual, "Capella-kun, mou!"

"Don't worry, Onee-chan. Your secret's safe with me." he smiled.

"Hey!" Ryoma caught their attention. Sakuno was almost jumped from her position when he called. She looked at him and was surprised to see what he was holding. The boy continued talking;

"Do you have load?" the boy was asking because he was holding her cell phone. _H-how… ?_ She touched her pocket unconsciously. The boy talked as if he read her mind, "I found this key chain of yours that was hanging on your pocket."

It was the tennis racket key chain. It was more embarrassing now. Her heart was beating so fast. She saw Ryoma typing something on her cell phone. Later on, she heard another ringing tone. Ryoma took out his own cell phone that was ringing. She knew what was happening. She was totally speechless when he presented his cell phone and hers in front of her and said;

"There's no way that you can make excuses to me now," He smirked, "Even if you change your number, I can simply find you."

She was flabbergasted. She couldn't get what he mean by his last words. She reacted when he stretched his hand with her cell phone which was resting. She walked towards him once again and reached for her cell phone.

"Onee-chan. It's time. We need to go." Capella said pushing the button that Fakir gave him.

"Ah," Sakuno looked at the little boy, "W-we need to go now." When she grabbed her cell phone from his hand, his next action made her move forward towards him. The boy let go of her cell phone but he grabbed her wrist when she get a hold of her apparatus causing her to move closer. He made her bend down… a few inches to his face. She blushed and panicked inside. The boy said something as he stared at her hazel eyes.

"No more silent goodbyes."

She gulped when the boy said that. She was able to stare at his golden eyes. Their face was really closed and she couldn't react not to add that she was still blushing and more blushing thing because of their position right now. She slowly nodded to him. The boy smirked afterwards. He reached for his cap from her head and wore it to his own. Capella grabbed her other hand and slowly parting them away;

"W-we really need to go now, Onee-chan." He said dragging her away from him. She moved slowly from him. The boy was still sitting and staring at her leave. The boy's expression was somewhat serious from her point of view. She never saw that to him unless the boy was facing a match.

_Ryoma-kun… _she said as she followed Capella properly and quickly left the place… and the boy. _W-why do I have this feeling that… he, he was planning to-to kiss me?_ She was shocked on her own words. She blushed once again and shook her head. _S-snap out of it, Sakuno. T-that's impossible. H-he won't do that. H-he just loves teasing me that's all. _She thought as she trying to convince herself that it was the real case but her heart was betraying her as it was beating so fast.

**xxx**

Ryoma stared at the closed door for a while. And then he shifted his stare to the sky. The scene was awfully beautiful today in his thoughts. _She never had the chance to explain but it was all clear to me now. _As he stared at that sapphire sky he genuinely smiled. _That's her nature anyway… clumsy as ever. _He waited for a couple of minutes before he himself decided to leave the area.

**xxx**

They met with Fakir on the ground floor and made plans how to create alibis from Drosselmeyer. It was easy for them because Sakuno has the natural 'ability' of losing sense of directions especially from big places. Fortunately, Drosselmeyer bought their alibis and went home safely. The news was learned by her parents and was worried sick about her. Reinja added more bodyguards to her and promised that none of this would happen again.

Everything went smoothly and Fakir was ordered to escort her to her room.

"F-fakir-kun… t-thank you for today… " she blushed while saying that. They were in front of her room.

"It's nothing. You missed that guy as I can see from you, Mistress." Fakir said not looking at her.

Sakuno blushed on him but she didn't deny the fact, "a-actually… I missed everyone."

Fakir was about to say something when her door opened and Ahiru went out. She blushed when she saw Fakir who was talking with her, "M-mistress… w-welcome back!" she looked at the boy behind her, "G-good evening… S-sir Fakir."

"H-hai… " she wondered on her sudden reaction and then she looked at her bodyguard. She noticed something, "Well, Ahiru-chan… I am pretty tired… you are free to do anything from this time onwards."

"B-but mistress… " Ahiru didn't continue her words as she was drove away by her… away from her door.

"Good night… the both of you." She smiled at them before she closed the door. Ahiru was blushing when she saw Fakir and the teenage boy was not looking at the girl. She leaned of the door frame and thought;

_I guess I can do something for them… as Fakir did today… for me._ She smiled on her thoughts.

* * *

**11:00 pm**

She couldn't sleep because of what happened today. Everything was like a dream to her. She met Ryoma today and made her to fulfill her promise to him. He meant that he was expecting to meet her again in the future. She grabbed her cell phone from the side table and stared at the screen. She began searching for a certain name and found it.

_He wrote his name here… on my phone. _She stared at his name for a while. Her eyes softened as she blurted out his name;

"Ryoma-kun… "

She panicked and almost dropped the phone to her face when it suddenly beeped. She looked at the screen and discovered a message she had been received. She looked at the message and read it to her surprised;

'Better keep your promise; there will be no second chances.'

She laughed on his text, "Bossy… as always." She replied back to him before settling her cell phone on her side table.

**xxx**

Ryoma was waiting for her reply that night. He knew that the girl was still awake. And he was not mistaken. Not a minute had passed, his cell phone beeped. He read the message and smirked;

'You already gave me the second chance, thank you.'

* * *

**Done! Everything went well for the both of them. I planned this the way I expected to. I hope you liked this chapter. Anyway I still want to hear your opinions and thoughts. Thank you for reading. ^_^**

**If you haven't noticed, I already posted my new one-shot days ago. If you are interested please read and tell me your thoughts if not… thank you still. ^_^**

**Reviews please! If you really like it, please let me know. A word is enough for me as long as it comes from YOU! Domo… ^_^**

**Next Chapter: Stupid Phone Calls **


	9. Stupid Phone Calls

**Hi there! Arigatou, for the wonderful feedback that I have received on my previous chapter. I really appreciate those inspiring words. In fact I was- no I am overwhelmed about the feedback that I received from YOU. I hope you won't stop supporting my stories. Without you, I won't probably be here. Thank you once again. Please enjoy this next chapter. ^_^**

**animecouplelover - I see so... you are having your exams. Good luck, I know you can do it... Gambare! And thank you that you always find my story like that... That really flatters me... I'll do my best as you do to your exams... ^_^**

**krisaku - He is indeed Ryoma... in his own way isn't he? Thank you for for the wonderful words. I hope You like this chapter as well.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Tennis Prince. **

* * *

**Chapter 9: Stupid Phone Calls**

**Chapter Summary: When it was his turn to talk, it was always cut. Was it on purpose or was it just his… worst luck? **

* * *

**Fifth Day of November, Monday, Lunch Break:**

They all had their 30 laps and everyone was worn out already. They were in their high school years but nothing changed. Although, their dreams were… well a bit. At least, to Kawamura, he started focusing on his inherited sushi restaurant and beginning to train himself as the number one sushi chef in Japan. He played tennis sometimes when his schedule was not tight. Just like now, he was with them.

"It feels so good to have everyone, nya?" Eiji said who was lying on the cold ground with the rest.

"You're right," Inui agreed, "We are glad that you are here with us Taka-san."

"I enjoy playing with you guys, I just can't give up tennis that easily." Kawamura said.

Ryoma stood up and looked at Kawamura, "Well, what are you waiting for? Let's have a match, Kawamura-senpai."

The other regulars looked at the youngest regular member of the club. They stood up one by one.

"Okay, let's have a match, Echizen," Kawamura looked at Tezuka. The captain nodded as permission.

They went to the court and the others watched the two from the fence. Ryoma was just doing his twist serve when Fuji's phone beeped. He read the message and smiled. Momo saw his reaction, he was about to ask the tennis tensai but he walked away from the fence.

"F-fuji-senpai. Where are you going?" Momo asked the walking senpai.

"I'll make a call; I'll be back in a minute." Fuji left the wondering looks of the others. He started calling the number when he entered the club and the other line was answered not long ago.

'F-fuji-senpai?'

'Yo, little mistress, how are you doing?' Fuji teased the little girl.

'M-mou, please don't call me that.' the person on the other line said.

Fuji laughed a little, 'Really Ryuzaki-chan. If you miss us a lot, you should call us now.'

'I-I want to but… w-will they forgive me?'

'Of course they will, they missed you too, you know. Include me as well and a certain Ryoma Echizen.'

's-senpai… '

Fuji laughed once again, 'do it, call Ryuzaki-sensei and announce yourself to them. Your grandmother misses you the most. Remember that you haven't seen each other for two months now.'

There was a silence on the other line.

'Ryuzaki-chan?'

'Y-you are right, I'll call her now. Thank you senpai, bye.'

'I'll talk to you later then, bye.' Fuji smiled when he pushed the end button. _She is doing the first move now, I am glad._ He noticed something odd to Ryoma after his press conference and he knew that it had something to do with the girl. _Did they meet for an instance? _He looked at their sensei who was watching Ryoma and Kawamura's match. He then later saw their coach was yanking her cell phone from her pocket. He walked back to the court as he thought; _this is going to be interesting._

**xxx**

Ryoma was doing his next serve for his double set point. He threw the ball in the air and was about to hit it when he heard someone's name… a name that he was very familiar with.

"Sakuno!"

He made a false move. He hit the ball… on the wrong direction. The ball touched the net but it didn't go through the other side of the court.

The other regulars approached their coach as they heard Sakuno's name. Kawamura was shocked on Ryoma's service game as well as Fuji who saw it.

"Echizen… made a fault?" Kawamura said that made Ryoma back to his senses. Ryoma looked at their coach's direction for a while and then looked back at him;

"Warui, senpai. Let's continue now."

Kawamura nodded unwillingly. They continued playing while the others were busy talking to one girl.

**xxx**

'RYUZAKI-CHAN? IS THAT YOU? WHERE ARE YOU?' Eiji shouted on their coach's cell phone.

Sumire whacked the red-haired boy and said, "Let me talk to my granddaughter first, will you."

Eiji just scratched his head as he pouted. Sumire turned the loudspeaker on so that they could hear her speak;

'O-obaa-chan, how are you?' Sakuno said on the other line.

'I'm fine dear, I missed you. Why did you call me just now?'

'Gomen ne, I never had the chance to do so.'

'Ryuzaki-chan must be very busy on her own world.' Momo said making it loud so that she could hear.

'M-momo-chan-senpai?'

'Are you still okay, there? Do you want my medicine?'

'I-inui-senpai… '

'It must be very hard for you. I mean living a different life.'

'That's right' Momo and Kaidoh said at the same time causing the two of them to fight once again.

'Stop fighting or I'll make you run for 50 more laps.'

'Oishi-senpai, Kaidoh-senpai, Tezuka-buchou,' she said at the same time. She could hear the commotion on the other line and then she said her next words, 'I'm sorry.'

Everyone stop from what they were doing. They listened to her next words.

'Sorry for not telling you about my leave. I-I just can't do it.'

Fuji talked this time, 'it's okay Ryuzaki-chan. Everyone understands why you did that. Right guys?'

'Yeah, Fuji-senpai's right, Ryuzaki-chan. We were sad at first but I know that you will come and visit us.' Momo said reassuring that she wouldn't feel guilty about it.

'Momo is right, Ryuzaki-chi!' Eiji said making another nickname to her, 'Besides ECHIZEN will be sad if you don't come and visit us here again.'

By hearing his name being shouted at him, he made another mistake. By Kawamura's serve, he hit the ball only to be outside.

"Mou, Echizen. You are distracted. Let's talk to Ryuzaki-chan first, before we continue this match." Kawamura said running away without waiting for him.

"H-hey!" Ryoma just said with his wavering hand, "che."

Kawamura was talking already to Sakuno when Ryoma approached the group. Eiji looked at him and said;

"Hey Ochibi, say something."

Sakuno for the second time was surprised. Whenever she heard the boy's name, her heart was just so beating fast.

Ryoma didn't do anything at first. He just stood there while closing his eyes. Sumire turned the loudspeaker off and jerked the phone to him. Ryoma caught the phone off guard with wondering eyes.

"You can talk privately, if you want." Sumire said as she smiled.

Ryoma stared at them. They were smiling suspiciously. He then stared at the phone in front of him. He put the apparatus to his ear while his eyes were closed and the other hand was on his hips;

"Hey… " he said.

Sakuno didn't respond right away. Her heart was still beating so fast. She caught her breath but she tried to make a conversation to him;

"Uhm… R-ryoma-k- "

He blinked twice. And waiting if there was only a connection problem but he didn't hear anything. Everyone was wondering about his reaction. He distanced the phone from his ear.

"What happened?" Sumire asked.

He closed his eyes again and gave the phone to their coach, "she hung up on me."

"EHHH!" Everyone reacted. Before everyone could ask the tennis prodigy, the boy walked back to the court and said;

"Senpai, let's continue the match." Kawamura just followed his kouhai and resumed their match.

"She couldn't hang up on him, could she?" Sumire asked.

"She couldn't, there must be something wrong on the other line." Fuji said as he looked at the pissed expression on their kouhai.

**xxx**

"R-yoma-kun?" she wondered because she couldn't hear the voice of the boy in the other line. She looked at her phone only to be shocked, "Mou! It's low bat… Why does it have to be that time?" She looked down and upset, "when it was Ryoma-kun's to talk."

She stood up from the chair and grabbed her charger over the table and charged the apparatus, "I think I'll call them again after school time." she smiled while thinking that.

* * *

**After School Time:**

Tomoka was shocked when she heard the news that Sakuno called during lunch break. She was still upset of course and she was more upset that she didn't have the time to talk to her. What a Perfect timing for Horio who had invited her for lunch.

"Hey, Ryuzaki-san will call again. Don't be upset." Horio said to his girlfriend.

"It's your fault that I didn't have the chance to talk to her." She shouted in front of him.

Katsuo and Kachiro sweat dropped as they saw the unending fight between the couple. They got used to it by now.

They freshmen arrived at the court. The golden pair was having a practice match with Momo and Kaidoh while the others were watching them.

"Hey, boys start picking the balls now. We will go home early today." Sumire said to the middle freshmen students. The latter agreed as they started picking the balls.

Ryoma on the other hand felt thirsty. He started leaving the court but Kawamura noticed him as the powerhouse player wiped his sweat with the towel.

"Where are you going, Echizen?"

"Ponta." He simply said and continued walking.

Kawamura shook his head, "So much for lack of words, huh."

A minute passed when Ryoma left the court, Sumire's phone rang again. Some of the regulars saw her yanked the phone as well as Tomoka and her boyfriend. The doubles match was stopped when they saw the happy expression of their sensei. They knew who called by then.

'Gomen ne, Obaa-chan. About earlier, my battery ran off.' Sakuno said.

'That's okay, Ryoma was a bit upset though.'

'Eh?' she paused for a while, 'w-where is he? I-I want to apologize to him.'

Sumire looked around but she didn't see their youngest regular. 'gomen, Sakuno. I think he was out for ponta.'

'S-sou ka. P-please tell him my apologies then.' Sumire heard her say. She could sense disappointment in her granddaughter's voice. Then she looked around only to be surprised. The regulars gathered around her and started talking;

'Ryuzaki-chan! How are you doing there?' Momo yelled.

'Don't let your guard down, Ryuzaki-chi!' Eiji said, 'be sure to think of your senpais here.'

'Don't keep your problems to yourself.' Kawamura advised her.

'Yeah, always remember that you have someone to lean on.' Oishi said. 'We are here even though we're apart.'

Sakuno could hear them all at the same time, 'h-hai.' She sweat dropped.

On the other hand, Sumire who was keeping her temper reached her limit. "HORA! Go back to your practices right now!" she shouted as Sakuno giggled on the other line when she heard them apologized and started to run away from her grandmother. Sumire talked once again, 'Sakuno there is someone who wanted to talk to you.'

She waited for the person to talk. She felt nervous when she heard the voice on the other line.

'Sakuno-chan… '

'T-tomoka-chan.'

'…'

'Tomoka-chan?'

'…'

'A-re you there?' she wondered why was her best friend wasn't saying anything. She heard her best friend breathe for the air;

'YOU ARE SUCH AN IDIOT!' Everyone was shocked on her voice. Even Eiji who was about to serve made a mistake like Ryoma did early in that morning. But the girl was not finished yet as everyone sweat dropped, 'I AM YOUR BEST FRIEND AND YOU DIDN'T EVEN BOTHER TELLING ME THAT MATTER. HOW CAN YOU BE SO DENSE? I CAN UNDERSTAND YOU ALTHOUGH I FEEL SAD ABOUT IT…'

Sakuno distanced the phone as she started shouting. She tried to apologize, 'I-I was upset,' She noticed that she calmed down; 'do you have any idea how would I feel about you leaving like that without telling me. You are so unfair. I hate you, Sakuno-chan. I hate you.'

Sumire noticed her tears as she gripped the phone hard, her expression couldn't be seen clear but the coach knew that she was very upset.

'Gomenasai, Tomo-chan. I-I don't like to say goodbyes a-and you know that I am not good at everything. I understand if you will hate me. I-I deserve it for lying to you.'

'Baka! Don't make me more upset. You should visit me as soon as you can. Or else I will never forgive you for good.'

Sakuno was shocked when Tomoka said that. She closed her eyes afterwards, 'hai!' then she heard her grandmother said,

'YOU will visit US, to correct that.'

Sakuno was happy on her words but her happiness turned to nervousness when she heard Momo and Eiji shouted a certain name;

"Ochibi, hurry!"

"What took you so long, buying ponta for ages?"

"What's the fuss all about?"

"Ryuzaki-chan is calling right now. She was talking with Osakada." Oishi said.

Ryoma's eyes widened as he looked at the girl who was talking on the phone. Sumire was waving her hand telling him to come over. He walked casually as he ignored his senpais teasing looks.

"Sakuno said that she wanted to apologize to you about earlier, her batteries ran down.' Sakuno could hear Sumire said on the other line.

"Sakuno-chan, Ryoma-sama's here. I'll give the phone to him now," She said as she gave the phone to him and said, "Have fun talking to her."

Ryoma accepted the phone as if nothing. Just like what he did earlier, he placed the phone to his left ear and talked;

"Osoi!"

"U-uhmm… R-ryoma-kun, Gomen ne… about earlier." She stuttered as she heard his voice.

"Un. Maa Ii."

Silence was occurred once again. She didn't know what to say but she tried to initiate the conversation anyway.

"U-uhmm, y-you know- "

Ryoma blink his eyes twice for the second time, "moshi, moshi?" There was no respond. He looked at the phone and was a bit shocked.

"What happened?" Sumire asked the boy. Tomoka was staring at him, wondering. The others were waiting for his reply.

Ryoma closed his eyes as he heaved a sigh. He jerked the phone to Sumire that made his coach curious. She heard him whisper something;

"Stupid phone calls."

Sumire and Tomoka looked at the phone and both laughed. Ryoma got pissed on their reactions. He put his hands on his pockets.

"Gomen, Ryoma. It was my phone this time. I didn't have the chance to charge it today." Sumire said as she recovered from the shock.

Ryoma just walked away. The others laughed as well when they heard the reason.

"Poor Echizen. It wasn't his luck today. He had received two dropped calls from the same girl." Fuji said while shaking his head.

**xxx**

"R-ryoma-kun?" she wondered. She looked at her phone. It seemed that the other line was dropped. She tried calling the number once again but the area was out of coverage already, "Did Obaa-chan's phone run out of batteries this time?"

She put the phone back to the table, "and it was always Ryoma-kun's time to talk too." She felt a bit upset. The door opened and her tutor came in.

"Break-time's over, It's time to continue with our lesson, mistress." The tutor said using her lecturing tone.

"H-hai." She was going to have a tough lesson all day once again.

* * *

**Night at 10pm:**

"Capella-kun?" she stared at the little boy who was sleeping on her bed. The little boy was exhausted from work and it seemed that he received another punishment that she didn't know. She felt pity for the five year old boy, "I need to do something about him." She whispered as she placed a blanket over him. She climbed on the other side of her bed next to him and she began brushing his hair. The boy sounded peaceful on his sleep and that was she very thankful about. She almost screamed when her phone rang. She reached for her phone only to be shocked to know who was calling her.

"T-this can't be... " she stared at the name on the screen. When she noticed that the ring wasn't stopping she pushed the call button and talked;

"H-hello?"

"Don't tell me that you are going to hang up on me for the third time." the person on the other line said.

Her heart was beating fast. He was indeed calling her, "I-I won't do that, Ryoma-kun. T-the situation wasn't in our hand, that's all."

"Un."

Silence erupted once again. She was blushing hard alright. She couldn't think of anything to say.

"H-how is everyone?"

"…Seriously, Ryuzaki. Why are always asking me that whenever we talk. Didn't you talk to them twice today?"

"Ah, hai… it-it's just that I… " _I don't know what to say when it comes to you._ Sakuno thought, "I've been wondering about them since the call was cut earlier." But she said instead.

"Hummm," he replied.

"W-when is Seigaku's next tournament, Ryoma-kun" She asked him.

"Two weeks from now." Ryoma replied to her.

"Sou ka. G-good luck then."

"Thanks." He shortly replied.

_Mou! W-why is he talking to me this way. I-s he bored already?_ She thought when she noticed his numerous replies.

"Ne,"

"H-hai."

"The promise," Ryoma said making her gasped, "When are you going to fulfill it?"

It was a shock to her. Right, she remembered the promise she made to him. But she was not sure when would she fulfill that to him, "I-I don't have time for now. R-ryoma-kun. But I will keep it."

"che"

"H-honest, I will never lie to you ever again. I promise you. I-I will ask my parents to give me permission to… " She paused. What was she going to say again? She trembled.

"…To?" he waited for the continuation of her words.

She looked down as she was blushing all the time and continued saying her words finally, "…t-to see you."

Silence was there once again. She waited for him to say something and she didn't fail.

"I'll wait for that."

She was happy that he agreed, "T-thank you. I'll- " She didn't continue her words that made Ryoma wondered. The tennis prodigy heard a crying midget beside her, "Capella-kun!" Sakuno whispered with alerted tone and placed the phone on the bed in front of her but when she positioned herself to comfort the sudden cry of the little boy she accidentally kicked her phone to the carpeted floor causing the power to turn off in case of emergency.

She saw what happened to her phone. "Mou! Not again." She complained helplessly. When Capella hasn't stopped crying, she comforted the little boy until he calmed down.

**xxx**

"Ryuzaki?" He wondered. He looked at his phone to see that the call was dropped once again. He sighed, "She hung up on me… again."

He heard Capella's crying voice. And he confirmed it when Sakuno called the little boy's name. The boy was probably at her side, "Stupid kid." He whispered thinking about the 'interrupted' conversation because of a certain crying little boy. He placed the phone on top of his headboard and lied down. Karupin jumped to his side making itself comfortable as well. He stared at the ceiling as he was thinking of something while brushing his himalayan cat's hair. And when he was satisfied, he smirked as he started to close his eyes to sleep before saying his words for the night;

"Stupid phone calls."

* * *

**Done! How was this chapter? Did you like it? Well, I just made this idea and put them into words. So everyone forgave her and she was welcome to visit them whenever she had the time. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

**Pahabol Words: For those who put my story/stories into their favorites and alerts... You definitely have my gratitude. The fact that I am still sending you pms about my updates could've got me a lot happier. Thank you guys... ^_^ **

**Vocabulary:**

**Maa Ii (deshou) – It's okay. **

**Reviews please! Don't keep your word(s) to yourself. Let me hear it. Domo!**

**Next Chapter: Reunion: Nagging Senpais and The Promise**


	10. Reunion: Nagging Senpais and The Promise

**Hi there! Minna-san… I know that you are wondering why I am able to write one-shot stories despite that I am writing another two stories. All I can say is Time Management, Time Management. I am working all night and writing stories at home before going to sleep in the morning. So with my stories expect some grammar lapses and errors there. So I am sorry for that. Anyway, time for chapter 10. Please enjoy… ^_^**

**krisaku - thank you for the inspiring words, I felt the same way as Ryoma did... frustrations probably-not being satisfied with the call and such tee hee hee... thanks and I'm glad you like this chapter... and also for the Absolute Couple as well... AC chapter 11 will be posted on Tuesday... See you soon... ^_^**

**DISCLAIMER: Tenipuri is a masterpiece of Konomi Takeshi-sensei. That means I don't own anything regarding that matter.**

* * *

**Chapter 10: Reunion: Nagging Senpais and the Awaited Promise**

**Chapter: She paid them a visit and she received nothing but warm welcome and teases from her senpais and the long awaited promise had yet to fulfill…**

* * *

**12****th**** of November, Saturday, Afternoon Practice:**

School was long over that Saturday at lunch. The other students at Seigaku went home as they were trying to have their beautiful rest and other activities they desired to do but not for the Seigaku's tennis team club. They were enhancing their skills for the upcoming tournament in less than two weeks. At that moment, the so-called 'frenemies' were having their singles practice match.

"Fssh." Kaidoh hissed. He was waiting for Momoshiro's serve while swaying his body to relax a little.

Momo made his serve and went through the other court but the viper returned the hit. They rallied for several minutes until Momo faked a shot which was near the net. Kaidoh ran near the net and hit it upward creating a lob.

"CHANSU!" Momo smirked as he looked up and jumped high.

The people outside the fence screamed as they saw Momo's move. It was a dunk smash that spinned for a long a time on the court before bouncing and it made Kaidoh lost a point.

"DETAA!" Tomoka and the trio shouted all together.

"Super Great Momoshiro Special!"

Tomoka blinked when someone talked beside her, shouting the special move even before they did. She looked to her left side and saw Sakuno beside her. When she recognized the girl she returned her attention to the court. That was the time Momo said 'don' in front of Kaidoh.

"…"

"…"

"…"

Dot.… Dot... Dot.…

!

Tomoka looked to her left once again and screamed. The girl put both of her hands to her face as she shouted her name;

"SAKUNOOOO-CHANNN! I—is that you?" she held both of her shoulder and shook her.

Everyone looked at their direction. Even Sumire went outside together with Tezuka just to see the commotion. With eyes widened and delayed reactions, they watched when the girl talked;

"I-it's me, Tomo-chan." Sakuno sweat dropped, "Really."

Tomoka become teary-eyed as she hugged her best friend, "Sakuno-chan. It is you. I missed you a lot, you stupid girl."

The regulars also approached them after they were recovered from shocked except for Ryoma who was still shocked of her sudden appearance at Seigaku. The girl was just wearing her casual clothes like she never left the school. It was a perfect disguise to lure the people around her. Sakuno was hugging her grandmother right now.

"I missed you, Obaa-chan." Sakuno said.

"Me too, you stupid girl. What took you so long for showing to us?" Sumire said as she hugged the girl real tight.

"Yeah, Ryuzaki-chan, we missed you a lot." Eiji said.

"It's been a while." Fuji said.

Sakuno looked at the tensai not letting go from Sumire's grip. "Gomen, I-I was able to ask permission from my parents today."

"I'm glad they permitted you to come." Oishi said to her.

She released herself from her grandmother's hug, "Y-yeah, on one condition."

"One condition?"

She looked behind her. Everyone looked behind her as well. There were three men who were wearing a business blue suit and when they caught their attention, the three of them bowed to her. The regulars became agape on their reactions.

"I need to go home before 6pm this evening." Sakuno sweat dropped as they understood her having 'bodyguards' around her.

Inui wrote something in his notebook as he said something, "There will be 92.3 percent that these guys will follow Ryuzaki-chan wherever she goes and 7.7 percent that they will not."

"H-hai… " A_nd there's more than that everyone needs to know. _She thought but she didn't verbalize it.

She remembered how she asked permission to her parents.

* * *

**Flashback:**

"_You will go to Seishun Gakuen tomorrow?" Reinja asked his daughter._

"_H-hai…" she was fidgeting when she said that, hoping that her parents would permit her to go._

_Reinja sighed, "You know you should eliminate that fidgeting mannerism of yours. You should overcome that."_

_She looked up at his father, "I-I'm sorry."_

"_We should fix your stuttering problems as well." Reina butted in._

_Sakuno apologized once again._

"_Don't be nervous. We will permit you to go."_

_She felt enlightened when she heard that from her father, "T-thank you… d-dad."_

"_But you have to be back here before six. We will send Fakir to go with you tomorrow for security purposes." Reinja added._

_She nodded. I guess it was not that bad. She was able to go to Seigaku and that what was matter to her. She was able to fulfill his promise to Ryoma this time. She should prepare herself for tomorrow. And then she remembered something;_

"_D-dad, mom… c-can I… can I take Capella-kun with me… tomorrow?"_

_Both of them were surprised. Reina was the one to recovered first, "You seemed to get along with that Kid, Sakuno."_

_She nodded._

"_Just don't get too attached to him." Reina warned her._

_She wondered why her mother would say that. It's true that she didn't know anything about Capella yet but she was going to discover it sometime in the future._

_Reinja said something, "I guess the more the merrier. You can tag him along."_

"_T-thank you again. Mom, Dad. I-I'll go to my room now." She was about to stand up but Reinja spoke;_

"_Wait a minute."_

_She went back to her seat once again._

"_As I told you just a while ago, the more the merrier, there is another person that I want you to meet and will go with you at Seigaku."_

_She became curious at his father's words. Reinja signaled one of the men and whispered something to him. The man nodded and went to the door._

"_Sakuno I want you to meet…"_

_Her eyes became wide as the door opened…_

* * *

"Ryuzaki-chan~"

Her reverie from the past made her come back to the present by Eiji's attention, "H-hai…"

"Well I've been wondering," Eiji blinked twice as he crouched to her side, "Who is this kid?"

Everyone looked at the Eiji's location. They didn't notice at first when they saw Sakuno. There was a little kid who was gripping the hem of her skirt really hard. When Eiji crouched closer to him, the boy just hid behind her.

Sakuno looked at the little kid fondly as she introduced him to them, "T-this is Capella-kun. He lives with me. Capella-kun they are my senpai-tachi. They are friendly don't worry."

Eiji looked up at her, "Hmmm," and then he looked down to Capella's level. The boy just hid himself more to Sakuno's skirt, "Hi there, little boy. Don't be scared. I won't bite you."

Oishi whacked his partner his head, "Baka, that's not the way to talk to the kid."

Eiji was massaging the part where Oishi hit, "Man, you don't have to hit me hard."

Capella saw their little bicker. He found it amusing that he ended up smiling.

"Look he smiled. Make more jokes senpai-tachi," Momo noticed, "Mamushi don't you ever come here or you'll scare the boy."

"What did you say?" Kaidoh retorted.

"Do you want me to repeat that?"

The two started a fight once again. Oishi tried to stop them. As Capella watched them he realized something. He looked at his sister and caught her attention;

"Sakuno-onee-chan."

Sakuno bent down to his level and the boy continued talking;

"They are funny senpais."

She smiled on his comment. "You are right."

She didn't notice but Ryoma was staring at them for quite a while now. And the tennis prodigy didn't notice that Eiji saw him staring at the girl and the kid. Eiji caught everyone's attention;

"Well, it's good that you are here Ryuzaki-chan. Right, O-CHI-BI?"

Ryoma flinched as well as Sakuno. Everyone stopped from their activities whatsoever. Sakuno blushed when she heard his senpai's words.

"che."

Capella has been staring at Ryoma for a while now. When he recognized him, he reacted, "Ah!"

Sakuno was a bit shocked as well as the regulars. She saw him pointing his finger at the young tennis prodigy and shouted a little;

"P-ponta onii-chan!" Capella said and looked at her, "He's ponta onii-chan, right Sakuno-onee-chan?"

"Ponta…" Sakuno muttered.

"Onii-chan?" Eiji and Momo said in almost unison. Everyone looked at the tennis prodigy… slowly.

Ryoma just blinked on his new 'nickname', eyeing the little boy not far from him. After a series of shock, everyone laughed making the whole scene a bit funnier.

"That's a nice nickname Ochibi." Eiji said between his laugh.

"It suits you well." Momo agreed as he too couldn't stop laughing.

The tennis prince just narrowed his eyes and trying to ignore their teases. Sakuno didn't notice that Capella ran to him and held his hand, "Ne ponta-onii-chan, do you have that drink?"

"C-capella-kun! That's rude." Sakuno said trying to scold the little kid.

"B-but, but…" Capella tried to persuade her.

Sakuno was about to say something but Ryoma interrupted.

"It's okay. I'll buy him one." With that said. Capella's face enlightened.

"By the way, Ryuzaki-chan. How did they meet each other?" Oishi asked her.

Sakuno blushed when she heard that from Oishi. She was about to say something when Capella butted in;

"Onee-chan and Onii-chan met at the large mall. I brought them to the roof top that time. That's how I met Ponta-onii-chan."

Sakuno blushed hard as Ryoma pinned his hat down. He could see the annoying looks from his senpais now… the teasing-annoying look.

_Stupid kid, does he know when to stop talking?_

"So you met each other without our knowledge huh?" Momo tugged the blushing girl.

"I-ie, that's was an—an accident."

Fuji went closer to her, "You did something beyond my expectations, Ryuzaki-chan."

"F-fuji-senpai… i-it's not like that."

On the other hand, Ryoma was being interrogated by Eiji, Kawamura and Oishi. The acrobatic player grabbed him from the back and said;

"You're unfair, you know that. Why did you keep Ryuzaki-chan all to yourself?"

"Stop that, Eiji with all of us here, I know that Echizen is the one that Ryuzaki likes to see the most. Well, aside from her grandmother that is." Kawamura said to him.

"Even so, Ochibi, was still so unfair. He didn't tell us after that. He even disappeared at that time if you all remember."

Ryoma struggled hard as he defended himself, "L-let go… senpai. I-I hate reporters remember. I-ended up meeting Ryuzaki by accident."

"I guess they talked a lot. And looked at how she was doing now." Oishi said.

Sumire, Tezuka, Inui and even Kaidoh just looked at them for a while. The two youngsters were being surrounded by the regulars and even Tomoka and the trio. Sumire looked at her granddaughter fondly.

_I'm glad that she is doing fine. I have to thank Reina-san and Reinja-kun for allowing her to visit us here._

"I guess, we need to cancel the remaining practice this afternoon. What do you think sensei?" Tezuka asked his coach.

"You should at least do them some warm ups. Sakuno wouldn't mind that."

"Hai." Tezuka said as he walked upfront and announced the number of laps that they had to run.

Everyone ran even Capella seemed to be enjoying it. Yep. The kid was running although he lagged way behind. Sakuno laughed on his movements. When they finished running, Ryoma was about to go outside when a hand stopped him from walking. Capella was holding the hem of his shirt. Ryoma was staring at him and he knew what he wanted. Ryoma sighed as he grabbed the kid's hand and took him to the vending machine.

Sakuno watched them leave. Sumire just left her to give them the freshmen some advice. Now she was alone sitting on the bench. She flinched when someone talk to her;

"Feelin' better now?" the tennis tensai asked her.

She blushed, "H-hai. Thank you very much, Fuji-senpai."

"You know I never expected that you two would meet at Omotesando Hills," Fuji looked from a distance, "It was beyond my expectations."

"I never… expected that as well." She looked down.

Fuji looked at her afterwards, "Small world, huh?"

She just nodded. They remained silent after that. Later on, Fuji excused himself so that he could do another warm up. And not long before Ryoma and Capella came back while both of them were having ponta on their hands.

Sakuno walked closer to her grandmother as the latter talked, "It seems that the kid has grown attached to Echizen, isn't he?"

"He sure is," She said as she looked at the two boys walking towards the court. She looked at her grandmother as asked something, "O-obaa-chan, can I walk to the entire school? I miss this place already."

Sumire thought hard before nodding, "Even there were few students here, they would probably interrogate you… you needed a backup."

Before she could protest, Sumire just made an announcement, "Hey, Sakuno wants to walk around the school premises, who wants to join her?"

Everyone looked at their location. They could see how Sakuno was trying to object as she was blushing hard. It was incredulously amazing that they were thinking the same thing. They pointed their fingers at a certain person as they shouted his name at the same time;

"ECHIZEN!"

Ryoma blinked twice, as he was about to hoist the can to his lips. Capella who was beside him just stared at his non-changeable reaction.

Sakuno was blushing so hard. She looked down as she couldn't meet his stare that he was giving right now. Then she heard her grandmother talk;

"Saa, Ryoma go with her and explore the school. I know that she used to be studying here but we need to build securities for her now." The coach explained.

Eiji and Momo pushed the boy forward. Momo knew that Capella was about to follow him so he caught his attention. Without the little kid around, Eiji managed to push him outside the court.

Ryoma looked back as he saw Eiji gestured a 'V' sign and said;

"bui."

He pinned his hat down and said, "annoying senpai-tachi."

Eiji just ignored his complain and ran back towards Momo and Capella. They played with the kid who seemed to get along with them now.

Ryoma walked closer to them. He stared at the blushing girl and said, "Iko."

She nodded bashfully, "h-hai, thank you, R-ryoma-kun." they started to walk.

"Take care then." They heard Sumire catching up with her words.

"che." He retorted. _She's not going that far if you all know._ He thought to himself.

They left the court. Tezuka held another laps for the people who were left behind.

**xxx**

They walked outside the court. They saw Fakir from the other side. Sakuno then remembered something.

"C-chotto matte, Ryoma-kun," she said and then ran to where Fakir was. She talked to her bodyguard and he saw him nodded. He ducked inside the car and grabbed something. It was a medium-sized paper bag and handed it to her. Then she ran back to him while reminding the average guy, "We won't take long so you don't need to follow us."

He saw the guy nodded. And when Fakir looked at him, he nodded as well and the guy mimicked him once again. They didn't know but they had some sort of understanding and… trust.

* * *

**Later on:**

They did explore the rooms, the library, the club, the theatre, the gym, garden, and even the oval. Sakuno missed the school a lot. How she wished that she could study at Seigaku once again. She missed everyone, her grandmother, Tomoka, the senpais, her classmates… and the boy next to her. But it wouldn't be the same anymore, no matter how much she liked to go back, she couldn't and there was no way out.

"Are you satisfied now?"

She flinched when the boy talk, "I-I will never be satisfied… Ryoma-kun," her eyes became soft, "this is my home."

Ryoma stared at her. Something in her eyes telling him that she was somewhat different. Different in a way from its word 'different' was. Something was odd from her. He was about to say something when the girl interrupted him;

"Ryoma-kun… there's this place that I want to see." She said as she started to run.

Ryoma just stared at the running girl. He closed his eyes as he put his hands inside his pockets and followed the girl afterwards.

They reached their destination. Good thing that there weren't enough students in that place. It was an advantage for her since its Saturday and school was only for half day. Ryoma stared at the girl and said;

"…Cafeteria?"

"Hai." She smiled while closing her eyes. She presented the paper bag in front of him as she opened her eyes once again and blushed at the same time, "I-I kept my promise this time."

Ryoma stared at the paper bag. So, it was a bento that she promised before and she did keep it. When he didn't grab it the girl talked;

"I-I know it's been a while but h-here it is," She said not looking at him, "and—and I thought that eating in the cafeteria is a good idea."

Ryoma thought hard on her words. After a series of silence, he accepted the bag, "thanks." He said as he walked inside the cafeteria. When he noticed that the girl didn't follow he asked;

"What are you still doing there?"

She looked at him but didn't say anything. The boy continued talking;

"Are you going to join me or not?"

"eh?"

"Let's go."

Sakuno smiled as she heard him say that. She was actually planning to give the bento to him and then leave afterwards but it was beyond her expectations. She followed the tennis prince inside the cafeteria.

"h-hai!"

* * *

**Done! How was this chapter? Did you like it or what? Please send me your thoughts and share them to me. Umm this reunion will be a three part chapter series. So please stay tuned. (Expect that Crystal Teardrops will be having more chapters since the main plot hasn't been revealed yet. I really don't know** **how many. But hey, thank you for your wonderful reviews to make this story a successful one. I hope it did…)**

**The date being used here would have to be in 2011. The competition would be settled next year, same schedule as 2012 grand slams competitions. **

**Domo Arigatou Guzaimasu! *Bows for several times***

**I forgot to mention this on my previous chapter. Omotesando Hills is a mall that is located in Shibuya, near the Shibuya station, Japan. (I'm not sure about the rooftop though.) Source: Wikipedia, acknowledgement for the site and the location. **

**Reviews please! More motivation that coming from you is what I only needed. Make me want to write more. ^_^**

**Next Chapter: Reunion: Indirect Kisses**


	11. Reunion: Indirect Kisses

**Hi There! This is the second part of the reunion. More RyoSaku scenes I guess. Please Enjoy… ^_^**

**DISCLAIMER: Konomi Takeshi-sensei's The Prince of Tennis. Not mine.**

* * *

**Chapter 11: Reunion: Indirect Kisses**

**Chapter Summary: They almost spent the time together… for that very short time. It was so embarrassing now that Capella was with them.**

* * *

Japanese bread, Japanese curry, Japanese riceballs-a Japanese tennis riceballs to be exact. And an average chocolate cake for dessert. That was the content of his bento she gave him. He looked at the girl who was sitting across him. The girl was blushing really hard. He smirked when he saw that.

"You prepared everything, huh?" Ryoma commented and then he looked at the tennis riceballs, "And what's with this?"

Sakuno looked down as she fidgeted her fingers under the table, "R-remember the tennis riceballs I was about to give you during the Nationals… t-three years ago?"

Ryoma tried to remember, "The one that the thief ruined?"

"T-that's it! E-even though, it was ruined… K-kin-chan still ate it."

"hmm," He just said. That was the first time Sakuno met Kintarou in an unusual way. But deep inside him, he didn't like their first encounter. He was still on his own reverie when the girl talked;

"I-I wonder what is Kin-chan's doing right now? I haven't seen him-"

"Let's eat." He butted as he picked his chopstick and started digging in.

Sakuno was a little surprised on his action. He stopped her from talking about Kintarou. It was odd of him. She stared at the boy who was eating. She flinched when the boy talked;

"You are not going to eat?"

Sakuno shook her hands in front of him, "n-no I-I ate before I came here. I-I am not hungry at all." To her surprise, Ryoma pushed the cake in front of her. She was a bit shocked on his action.

"Eat with me."

"B-but that's my-"

"Share it with me then."

She blushed once again. She picked the spoon that was on the plate and took a bite of the cake before Ryoma would get mad at her. It was the cake that she baked but it felt really delicious when she ate it. The thought that she was sharing it with the prince made it more delicious. After a several bites she felt thirsty. She stood up and said;

"I-I'll buy us some ponta." Before Ryoma could stop her she ran to the counter and bought two cans of ponta. Good thing that there were few students there and she barely knew by them. She was really thankful of that. She went back to their table. Ryoma was eating the cake when she dropped the can near him.

"You're good at making this." He said indicating the cake.

She blushed as she thanked the boy. She blushed even more when she stared at the spoon he used for the cake. _T-that was the spoon that I used._ She fidgeted once again. Before he could notice her, she opened her can and drank it.

Not before, Ryoma finished digging his bento and as well as the can of ponta. The boy was still thirsty and she noticed that.

"A-are you still thirsty? I-I'll buy you another."

"That's fine."

"Eh?"

Ryoma looked at her ponta. There were still left in it, "Aren't you going to finish yours?"

"M-mine?"

"If there were some left in it, I'll finish it."

She stared at him and said, "T-that's fine. Y-you can have… it."

It was too late for her to take her words back. The boy grabbed her can and hoisted it to his lips. She was blushing all over and looked down. _H-he did it again. I-it was an… indirect… k-kiss. _She flinched when the boy talked. He was done with the can.

"Let's go back."

Sakuno nodded.

**xxx**

They walked back to the court but no one said a word. Not after a minute before they reached the court. They saw Capella ran towards them. Before they went on separate ways, Ryoma whispered to her;

"Thanks, that was delicious."

She was shocked on his words. The boy was walking ahead of her, with his hands in his pockets. He was being surrounded by his senpais the moment he entered the court. Capella held her hand and gestured her to go inside as well.

"What took you two so long, Ochibi?" Eiji asked the tennis prince.

"They were busy with their _date._" Momo said teasing the boy.

Ryoma just closed his eyes and continued walking to the court. The regulars stared at him.

"He's not going to deny it?" Fuji wondered making the boy hear it. The boy looked at his shoulder.

Inui and Oishi just nodded to each other. Eiji and Momo kept bugging the boy much to his annoyance. Sakuno was busy talking to her grandma and to the tennis Captain. Capella went to the court and tried swinging Eiji's racket. The acrobatic player just laughed on his actions. There were busy with their own activities when someone shouted from the outside;

"BURNING!"

Capella was frightened. He dropped the racket instantly and ran to her side, "S-Sakuno-onee-chan!" He hugged her tightly.

She smiled helplessly to the boy. She looked around to see Kawamura entering the court. The powerhouse player went outside to bring sushi for that special day. It was for her arrival to her surprise. She learned that Kawamura was opening his own business and he was playing with them sometimes. It was perfect that he was there at such time. She looked at the frightened kid and said;

"Daijoubu da yo, Capella-kun," She patted his head as she bent over, "He is like that when he is holding his racket."

Capella looked at her with uncertainty. Fuji saw how scared the little boy was. He smiled and went over to the other regulars who were having a hard time to get the racket from Kawamura. To everyone's surprised, he just swiftly took the racket from him that easily. Kawamura returned to his old self. Fuji looked at their direction.

"Capella-kun, everything is fine now." Fuji smiled making everyone there sweat dropped. Capella was looking all cute as he stared at the tennis tensai. Later on, the little boy went near Fuji started playing with him.

Sakuno went to the club room and saw Tomoka and her grandmother inside.

"Did you have fun?" Tomoka asked her.

She nodded bashfully, "I really missed the school."

"Come back here then." Tomoka suggested.

"I hope I can. But my parents will not allow me." She became sad after saying that.

Sumire saw that. She knew that she was still adjusting to her new life. She couldn't pronounce the words 'parents' properly yet. Having that thought brought pain to her inside as well.

"Where are you studying then? Her best friend asked her again.

"T-they provided me a tutor at the mansion so that I can catch up with my lessons."

Tomoka was shocked, "My, you're a caged princess."

"Tell me that you didn't say that," Sakuno looked at her, "I am happy that Capella-kun and Fakir-kun are there to keep me company. Oh and there's Ahiru-chan as well."

"Who's that?" Sumire asked her this time.

Sakuno blushed as she said her next words, "M-my personal… maid."

The two blinked…er three… and then one reacted,

"EHH! Ryuzaki-chi has a personal maid! Sugoi ne!" Eiji was the one who reacted.

Sumire looked at the window, "Eiji quit eavesdropping, get back to practice."

"Mou! But Sensei, can we at least interrogate her a bit more?" Eiji pleaded.

"Go back to practice if you don't want to run a hundred laps."

Eiji became alerted, "H-hai. I'll go back now." He ran as he said that.

Sakuno giggled because of Eiji actions, "They are keeping me company there," she continued and looked at Capella, "so that I won't be lonely."

The two just looked at her, and then Tomoka spoke as she held her hands, "Come on. I know you'll miss us too."

She stared at her for while before giving her a smile, "You're right, that's why I am here."

"Sakuno-chan!" Tomoka suddenly hugged her, "Don't you ever leave us like that again okay. I'll never forgive you next time."

Sakuno was shocked at first. She responded on her hug later as she closed her eyes and said, "I won't. I am always here. I promise."

"Hey, I should get your number," Tomoka said taking out her cell phone, "Tell me."

Sakuno sweat dropped before smiling, "Mou, Tomoka-chan. Y-you already have my number long ago. I never changed it."

"E-eh?! Is that so?" Tomoka sweat dropped as well, "Silly me."

Sumire laughed on their stupidness, "Enough with that you two. Let's go outside and watch them play."

"Hai." They said in Unison.

* * *

**Later On:**

It's already half past three in the afternoon and the game was heating up. It was a singles match between Kawamura and Inui. Everytime Kawamura shouted 'burning' Capella just hid to her skirt much to her amusement. When she was absorbed to the game she was being informed by Fakir;

"Mistress, Can I have minute with you."

Sakuno was a bit shocked, "O-okay."

"Mistress?" Momo uttered.

"Ryuzaki-chan's a mistress?" Oishi said in uncertainty.

Everyone reacted except Ryoma who was staring at the girl and her bodyguard. They were brought back to reverie when Tezuka caught the attention at the match.

**xxx**

"What is it, Fakir-kun?"

Fakir stared at her before saying his words, "Lord Kishida will be arriving soon. Would you like me to inform our location?"

She was a bit shocked on his words. _So he was coming to pick me up after all. _She thought, "Y-yes… please tell him that we are here."

"Yes, mistress." He nodded.

"So he will pick me up as he promised." She said to herself.

"Who will pick you up?"

She flinched when she heard a familiar voice. She turned around when she saw Ryoma behind her drinking his ponta while staring at her.

"A-a new guy that I just met today. It was planned that he would escort me here but he said that it would be no fun if he was to ruin my reunion," She explained and then she looked down, "So he would come her to pick me up instead."

"Hmmm." He simply reacted. He didn't ask anymore question. He just drank his ponta.

"Ahh! Ponta-onii-chan!"

Ryoma glared at the boy who called him that, "Will you please stop calling me that?"

Sakuno just giggled at his reaction. Capella just pouted but later asked for his ponta. The little boy seemed to like the drink a lot. Ryoma started walking away from them and Capella followed him. Sakuno shook her head and follow them afterwards after nodding to Fakir.

Fakir just stared at his master, leaving in a deep thought between the conversation of her and the boy.

**xxx**

It's was quarter to four when Sakuno decided to go to a certain place. She asked her grandma that she would go there. The coach was trying to keep her company with someone but she insisted that she would go alone this time. To keep her and Tomoka away from worrying she said where she headed to.

The rooftop.

She went there as fast as she could. The moment she reached the rooftop, she walked to the reeling and looked below. She could see the boys and the others down from her location. She smiled as she stared at them for a while. And then she became serious.

The truth was she needed some peace of mind. She looked up to see the nearing sun set before her. She was absorbed by it when her phone rang. She yanked her phone from her pocket and answered it;

"H-hello…"

"Sakuno."

She flinched when she recognized the voice of her caller, "C-chris-kun."

"Are you still there?" The monotonous tone of his voice made her a bit nervous.

"H-hai." She replied.

The other caller sighed big as he said his next words, "Don't make unnecessary movements without my presence. I will be there without you noticing it." His voice was ordering her.

She became alerted. Whenever she heard his voice, she always tensed in an unknown reason. And she felt pressured because of that feeling.

"Are you listening to me?"

"H-hai."

"Good. I'll be there soon." With that, he turned off the phone without waiting for her reply.

She sighed as she tucked her phone back to her pocket.

"Who was that?"

She flinched when someone talked behind her, "R-ryoma-kun." The boy was standing not far from her.

Seriously, the boy had great timing… he was doing that everytime.

"R-remember the person I was talking about earlier? H-he called me saying that he will be arriving soon." She explained.

Ryoma just stared at her stoically. The boy didn't say anything so she decided to change the topic;

"W-what are you doing here? I-I mean, is your practice over?" She asked.

Ryoma shrugged, "He was looking at you so we came here." She didn't notice Capella behind him.

"Sakuno-onee-chan." He ran to her side and hugged her knee, "I thought that you left me."

Sakuno stared at the worried look of the little boy. She smiled fondly at the boy. She bent over to his level and pinched his cheek, "Who said that I'm going to leave without you, you silly boy. I can't live without you, remember that."

Ryoma stared at her. He was shocked on her words and trying to absorb what she just said to the little boy.

"Riiillly." He asked her making a funny face.

"Reaaaally." She smiled to her best.

Capella became happy after she said that. The boy started running through the rooftop to her amusement. The wind blew nicely making her pigtails swayed to its direction. She fixed some strand to her ear while looking at the little boy running around the area.

"Be careful, Capella-kun."

Ryoma continued staring at the girl. He just realized her appearance right now. She was just wearing simple attire. A baby blue t-shirt and a white below knee skirt. She paired it with her sandals.

"Aren't you feeling cold?" he couldn't help but asking the girl.

Sakuno looked at him and wondered, "N-not really. I have my sweater with me when I feel like I am."

Ryoma nodded as confirmation. She was looking nice in front of his eyes and didn't deny it, "You are way better in that get up than the last one."

Sakuno was shocked when he said that to her. She blushed as she nodded, "T-thank you."

Silence welcomed them after that short exchanged of words. They were interrupted when the little boy suddenly cried. The boy tripped and felt pain causing him to cry. Sakuno ran to him and helped the little boy to stand up.

"I told you to be careful." Sakuno scolded him as she brushed the dirt from his pants. Capella just continued to cry, "Stop it, I am here. Don't cry now." She hugged the little boy.

"S-sakuno-onee-chan." He sniffed as he was about to stop crying. Sakuno wiped his tears.

"Boys don't cry. Be brave Capella-kun. Sister will kiss the pain away." With that she kissed the little boy's cheek. Capella was a bit shocked and blushed at the same time.

Ryoma was surprised on her action as well. Before they could realize, he pinned his hat down and looked away. But Capella saw what he did. He thought hard. When Sakuno released him he asked something;

"Nee-chan, can I asked you something?" Capella started.

"What is it?"

"Can I kiss you too?"

Sakuno was surprised on his question. Ryoma looked at them as well.

"O-of course." She said. Because she was in his level, he quickly leaned closer to her face and gave her a kiss on the lips. Sakuno was shocked. She wasn't expecting that kind of kiss but she smiled still.

Ryoma saw that kiss as well and how Sakuno smiled after that. He saw how the boy ran to him and gestured him to bend over.

"Nii-chan… Kochi, kochi." The little boy said gesturing his hand to go down.

Ryoma squatted to his level; his hands were in front of his thighs resting there. He leaned closer and waited for his words to come out. But that didn't happen; instead the little boy gave him a kiss on the lips as well. Ryoma was shocked. His eyes widened as he stared at the boy.

Sakuno covered her mouth with her hands. She reacted on Capella's actions, "C-capella-kun! Why did you do that?"

Capella turned around to face her and smiled, "But ponta-nii-chan wanted to do that."

"E-eh?" She wondered what the boy said. Ryoma stood up as if he understood what the little boy said. Capella made it clear for her;

"He wanted to kiss you."

Sakuno became flushed red as he said that. She went near him as she closed his lips to prevent him from saying more words, "C-C-C-Ca-capella-kun! S-st-stop saying such em-embarrassing things! Mou!"

Capella was uttering something but they couldn't understand what he was saying because she was covering his mouth. Abashed, She looked at the tennis prodigy who was standing behind them, "I-I am sorry about that."

"B-betsuni." He said as he pinned his hat down covering his expression but Sakuno noticed something to him.

_I-is he… e-embarrassed? I-I never saw his face tinted red. _And then she felt embarrassed as well. _T-that's another indirect… k-kiss. _She looked at the little boy and that was when she realized that she was still holding him to her hand.

"S-sorry Capella-kun." She tapped the boy's back as he was catching his breath.

"Y-you're not trying to kill me, aren't you?" Capella asked her.

"N-no, silly." She sweat dropped. _It's your own fault anyway. _She thought.

"Let's go back." Ryoma said later.

Sakuno just nodded not looking at the boy. On what Capella did make the two quite awkward and embarrassed. Ryoma could make a reaction although, it was not that noticeable. They reached the court once again and they were approached by their senpais.

"Hey, why are two always together?" Momo asked the boy.

"None of your business." Ryoma simply retorted.

"Come on, Momo-chii! He missed the girl so let him have her." Eiji teased the young teens as he looked at them. Sakuno was blushing while Ryoma pinned his hat down for a hundred times.

Tezuka and Fuji just watched them bug the two. Sumire was with them.

"Who would have thought that my granddaughter's presence in the court would make them livelier that before?"

"Ryuzaki-chan has this rare charm than anyone doesn't." Fuji said as he stared at the blushing girl.

"And what would that be?" Tezuka asked the tensai.

"You already know that Tezuka," Fuji smiled, "Besides everything wasn't the way anymore now that she left Seigaku."

Sumire sighed as a confirmation, "You are right Fuji, you are right."

Sumire decided to have their last practice training that day. Everyone got to their post instead Ryoma and Sakuno. The girl was about to leave so that he could practice but the boy called her attention;

"Next time…"

"Eh." She turned around to see a standing Ryoma with no sign of walking away.

"Next time you drop a call on me," he said straight to her eyes, "I will definitely confront you."

She was stiffened on her location. The boy then started to walk away. She just stared at him and thought. _W-what did he mean by that?_

When she couldn't find the reason she decided to dispose the thought and shrugged afterwards.

_Better get a better spot to watch._

* * *

**Done! Okay Wondering? Another crossover will be introduced next week. So stay tuned for that. What do you think about this chapter? I hope you liked it.**

**Sorry for the grammar errors guys… How can you imagine reviewing every word without proper sleep… Yap I sacrifice my own sleep just to make better chapters every week. They may not that great but I hope I can make your expectations of having good ones… **

**Thank you very much for the motivation. I really appreciate it… Reviews please… I will be happy to see you in my review page. **

**Next Chapter: Who is Christopher Lloyd?**


	12. Who Is Christopher Lloyd?

**Hi there! My mind was filled with lots of ideas and imaginations right now and some of them are for one-shots. Yeah, I won't tell you how many one-shots that I am going to make because it is increasing day by day. For now enjoy the final part of the reunion chapter. Yatogami Kuro acts like a mother of Yashiro Isana and Neko... tee hee hee... Funny... Domo! ^_^**

**Lyfa - Hi... thank you for giving effort just to read my story... in case that you can not read my Pm's... I will write here instead... I really appreciate it... your name in my review page is enough just to motivate me to continue... I thank you again for that. Well for Christopher... maybe you are thinking about Joshua Christopher of Chrno Crusade? But he is not actually... they are both blonde but different... tee hee hee you will know it today... I hope you will enjoy this one... ^_^**

**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own EVERYTHING here except my imaginations and fantasies.**

* * *

**Chapter 12: Who is Christopher Lloyd?**

**Chapter Summary: Sakuno? New Discoveries?—check!, New Parent?—Check!, New Life! – Check! New School?—Cleared!, and a what…?—What is Ryoma going to find out? The main—major situation has arrived.**

* * *

"Once you freed them, it can never turn back to you."

~Mitsukijunko

**4:15pm**

Ryoma was playing with Capella inside the court. The kid was holding his Red Bridgestone Dynabeam Grandea. Ryoma smirked as he stared how funny—big the racket was to him while holding it. But the kid had serious eyes staring back at him. Ryoma squatted at a distance for that the little boy could catch every ball that he would toss.

"Here." He started tossing the ball to the kid. Capella tried swinging the racket but the ball didn't touch from it. The racket was too heavy for a kid to handle as he could see it from the kid's eyes. He tried tossing another ball but it was still the same.

"Knees and elbow are too bend." Ryoma noticed.

"Onii-chan, just toss another ball, I'll hit it this time." Capella said instead.

Ryoma sighed as he tossed another one to him. The boy did hit it but it landed as fast as he hit it. Capella jumped from his position when he did that.

"I did it ponta-onii-nichan! I hit the ball!" Capella said merrily, "I hit the ball yey!"

Ryoma smirked, "Yarujan."

Sitting on a bench, Sakuno was watching the two boys played. She giggled when the little boy jumped when the latter hit a ball that Ryoma tossed. _I'm glad that Capella-kun is having fun here._ She stood up and went to her grandmother who was watching the others play.

"Obaa-chan."

"Hmm." Sumire looked at her.

"Can I ask you a favor?"

"Sure, what is it?"

**xxx**

Horio who was talking to his girlfriend at the fence was being disturbed by Sakuno. The boy looked at her and wondered. Sakuno was holding a racket.

"Uhmmm Tomoka-chan," Sakuno fidgeted while looking at her best friend, "Y-you wouldn't mind if I-"

Tomoka tapped her back hard, "Of course, Sakuno-chan! You can borrow my stupid boyfriend for a while."

"Hey, who are you calling a stupid here?" Horio reacted.

"Just go and play with her stupid." Tomoka almost shouted at his face.

"Alright, alright" Horio said, "Mataku…"

"Gomen ne, Horio-kun." Sakuno apologized.

Horio blushed when he looked at her, "No need Ryuzaki-san. Let's go."

The two went to court B and started playing. As usual Sakuno was sucked at playing tennis. She hardly hit the ball. If she managed to hit it, it was out. She could number how many times that her hit would returned to the other side of the court.

Horio sweat dropped, "Pay attention to the ball Ryuzaki-san!" he shouted.

**xxx**

"Hey, isn't that Ryuzaki-chii playing?" Eiji asked his doubles partner pointing at a certain pigtailed girl.

The mother hen looked at the direction he was pointing, "Yeah, he was playing with Satoshi right now."

Ryoma looked at the court B and saw the match between them. He smirked while staring at them. Capella looked at the other side of the court as well;

"O-onee-chan doesn't play well?"

Ryoma looked down as he said something, "You wouldn't let her hear that."

The boy looked back at him and stared in wonder, "guess so."

Ryoma stood up, "Can you wait for a bit?" he asked while grabbing the racket from his hand.

"W-where are you going?"

"I'll teach another rookie how to hit a ball with my toss." He said waving his racket.

The boy stared on his back while he was walking away. Fakir who was watching outside the fence with the other bodyguards was staring at his master. He also sweat dropped how clumsy his master was. But he appreciated the concentration she gave into the play and how the other players cheered on her.

"You can do it, Ryuzaki-chan!"

"Fight-o! Fight-o! Fight-o!"

"Beat the ol' Satoshi!"

"You can do it, Sakuno-chan!"

"Hey, don't be one-sided!"

The other regulars laughed on Horio's reaction. The latter was irritated because Tomoka sided on them. Katsuo and Kachiro were not different from them. Sakuno sweat dropped once again. She smiled sheepishly and gave her best friend's boyfriend an apologetic look. Horio just scratched his hair and he was blushing. Later on, the boy became fired up.

"Yosh! Let's keep our head on the game."

Sakuno stared at him for a while and then she bent her knees and began swaying, "B-bring it on."

Fakir closed his eyes and smiled afterwards. _This is her home._

"Mada Mada Dane…"

Everyone looked at the last person who spoke. Ryoma entered the court while his racket was on his shoulder. Horio panicked on his place.

"E-echizen! Why are you here?" the boy asked him.

Ryoma looked at him sternly, "What kind of question was that? This is a tennis court if you don't know."

Horio reacted and talked recklessly, "I know that! I mean what are you _doing_ in this side of the court? We are in the middle of the game."

Ryoma looked at the blushing girl on the other side of the court and then looked back at him, "Would you mind if I replace you here?"

Everyone was shocked as well as the girl. Ryoma ignored the teasing voice of his senpais as well as the middle freshmen rookies. Horio scratched his head once again. He agreed when Tomoka said that he should stop bugging their moment. The two ended up fighting once again. Sakuno was the one to react;

"B-but w-what about Capella-kun?"

Ryoma gestured the boy to her. She looked at the direction. Capella was leaning outside the fence with his fingers clinging to it. The little boy was wearing an excited look on his face.

"I won't mind, Onee-chan. Practice with Ponta-onii-chan!"

Ryoma narrowed his eyes to the little boy, "Quit calling me that!"

"Go for it, Ponta-onii-chan!" Momo mimicked the little boy's words.

"Ponta-onii-chan! Be a good boy and teach her a good play!" Fuji shouted a little.

Ryoma looked at them with his narrowed eyes kept still, "Do you have death wishes before I kill you all?"

Everyone laughed on his reaction. Ryoma just pinned his hat down much to his annoyance and embarrassment, "Stupid kid." He whispered.

Sakuno was blushing on his reaction, "R-ryoma-kun." She flinched when the boy dribbled the ball and started talking;

"Let's start."

Sakuno panicked as she followed the ball's volley. _R-yoma-kun is playing with me now. I-I never imagined that I could play with him. _Because of the thought, the first serve was aced by Ryoma.

"Pay attention, Ryuzaki!" He shouted.

"H-hai!" _Mou! And I am losing my concentration now. Ryoma-kun is giving me time to play…_

"Hoi! Ochibi! Be a little easy on her!" Eiji shouted.

"Yeah, be a gentleman, will you." Momo continued.

Ryoma smirked on their comments, "Annoying senpais."

Fakir being observant was contented. _This is indeed her home… with him._

They continued playing for a while and they enjoyed the time they spent. Sakuno was very happy playing with Ryoma although the game count was 6-0. She didn't win a single set; well expect that for a tennis prodigy that was. She breathed hard as the game ended. She went closer to the boy and bowed;

"T-thank you, R-ryoma-kun," She said while blushing, "T-that was a nice game."

"Un." Ryoma said, "You did well today."

Sakuno was happy on his comment. The boy walked away after that. She searched for another guy and when she spotted him, she went over and thanked the boy as well;

"Uhmm, H-horio-kun," Sakuno bowed, "Thank you for playing with me as well."

Horio blushed and began talking nonsense, "I-it's nothing, Ryuzaki-san. Don't mention it."

Tomoka narrowed her eyes, "stupid."

"What did you say?"

The couple started to bicker once again. Sakuno tried to stop them. Sumire and Tezuka looked at them.

"Today was totally a different event."

"Indeed, sensei." Tezuka nodded.

"And it was all thanks to your granddaughter." Fuji approached them.

Sumire sighed hard, "I am going to miss her again."

"We will sensei. We as well are going to miss her." Fuji said as he was looking to a certain young tennis prodigy who was walking towards the little boy.

**xxx**

Sakuno ran outside the fence and approached Fakir. Her bodyguard gave her a towel.

"I-is Chris-kun hasn't arrive yet." She asked her bodyguard while wiping her sweat with the towel.

"I am afraid so, mistress." Fakir replied to her.

Sakuno relieved a sighed, "I-I see."

Fakir stared at her and asked something, "Pardon my rudeness mistress but… why… didn't you tell the truth about Lord Kishida to him?"

Sakuno was a bit shocked when Fakir asked her that. She looked down and said, "I-I don't have the guts to tell him or to the others."

"Mistress." He felt worried when he saw pain on her face.

She looked away, "T-they will learn about it eventually."

Silence erupted between them.

She looked at him as she smiled, "W-well I guess that's how they are going to learn the big news," she started to run, "I got to go back now, inform me if he arrives."

Fakir bowed to his running mistress, "Yes, mistress." He looked up and thought. _Please be a strong girl, mistress._ The bodyguard just gripped his fists hard. He knew that his mistress was about to make her biggest decision in her life yet.

* * *

**Five in the afternoon:**

The practice training was over for that day. But no one was planning to leave early that day because of her. They were outside the fence and some of them were sitting and some of them were standing, surrounding the girl. Sakuno apologized to them;

"Gomen, for keeping you all this time."

Tomoka hugged her from the back, "Baka, what are you saying? It's been two months since we last saw each other."

"She's right, Ryuzaki-chan we don't mind." Kawamura said to her.

"I think you should tell us what you have been doing these past months." Inui suggested.

"I think Inui wants information from you, Ryuzaki-chii!" Eiji commented.

Sakuno blushed, "B-but w-what should I tell you?"

"Anything…" Momo said.

"Yeah, your life at the mansion perhaps." Oishi suggested.

"Your new school and some activities." Ryoma butted in.

She fidgeted, "W-well, t-the mansion is totally big a-and I-I get lost everytime."

"I knew it." Ryoma huffed.

"Quit it, Echizen!" Momo hit him on the head.

"That hurt senpai." Ryoma reacted touching his head that Momo hit.

Sakuno blushed and then continued, "W-well, I still have Fakir-kun, Capella-kun and Ahiru-chan to-"

"Ah! Ahiru-chan is Ryuzaki-chii's personal maid." Eiji pointed out about the name he remembered when the eavesdropped before.

Eiji received a hit on his head from his coach this time. Everyone laughed on his reaction.

"A-and Hayate-san, h-he is our butler," she looked down, "Well they don't want me to call them with honorifics but I still insisted despite my position was a bit higher than them."

"You really are a princess, now." Kawamura said.

"I-I don't want to be called like that." Sakuno said.

Inui looked around, "To tell that you have bodyguards around you."

"A-actually, Fakir-kun was only an assistant to my bodyguard. H-his boss, Drosselmeyer is actually my bodyguard."

They nodded as confirmation.

"So where is this Drosselmeyer?" Fuji asked her.

"He has some tasks to do which was ordered by my… a-adopted parents," she answered, "He sent Fakir-kun to my aid."

"I see," Fuji again, "What about school?"

She shook her head to their surprised.

"You don't go to school." Sumire was shocked.

She gripped her hands hard as she said her next words, "M-my lessons are being implemented at the mansion. I have complete sets of subjects like Seigaku has. I have tutors to teach me… strict tutors to be exact."

"Y-you have private tutors…" Tomoka implied.

"I am not allowed to go outside without an escort. So they have that arrangement for me."

Everyone remained silent so Sakuno continued;

"But I am glad that I am able to meet you again. There's no place like home," She looked at her grandmother, "together with Obaa-chan," And then to the regulars, "and together with everyone."

The others blinked hard after she said that. Eiji was the one to react first. He jumped to the girl making her panicked. The others followed much to Ryoma's annoyance.

"Silly girl, you can always come here anytime you want." Tomoka said when she got hold of her.

"Yeah, look how we missed you a lot," Momo said and looked at Ryoma afterwards, "ne, Echizen?"

Before Ryoma could protest Eiji grabbed his back and said, "You don't have the right to deny everything Ochibi, it's written all over your face."

Sakuno blushed when the boy looked at her. He stared at her for a while before pinning his hat down.

"che…"

Sumire clapped her hands three times, "Okay! Time to pack things up! We still have a week to practice before the tournament."

"Hai!" they said in unison.

"You will watch us play, right Ryuzaki-chii?" Eiji asked her. Everyone looked at her direction.

Sakuno fidgeted, "uhmm, that I-I don't know yet. I need to ask permission first."

"But I know you can. You can wish us luck." Eiji said.

"S-senpai, y-you don't actually need my luck," She blushed, "But I'll still say it when you need it."

Everyone shouted once again.

Ryoma looked below him. Capella was holding his hand once again. His other one was on his lips. The tennis prodigy looked at him, unaffected… or not. He knew what the boy wanted. They went outside just to get two cans of ponta.

**xxx**

"You should minimize drinking ponta." He warned the little boy while they were walking towards the machine.

Capella looked up to him, "Should you be doing the same thing?"

Ryoma looked back at him, "I am older than you."

He pouted, "That's why I can't win over you."

"What?"

"If I am older than you, I'll make Sakuno-onee-chan fall in love with me." he said with determination.

Ryoma reacted on his words. This little boy was really something.

"But its okay, because she has you," Capella said looking at him once again, "I like you better for my Sakuno onee-chan."

Ryoma stopped walking. He was shocked on Capella's words. The boy ran to the machine, pointing the beverages on top. He started to walk again and then remembered something.

_Better? What does he mean by that? _He thought. But no answer was given as he reached the machine and bought pontas for the both of them.

They went back to the court only to wonder. The moment they entered the court, they felt an aura different than them. He looked at his senpais and asked;

"What's the matter?"

They looked around him to see how shocked they were.

"E-echizen, y-you're back, y-you see..." Momo stuttered.

He raised his eyebrow. It was rare of Momo to stutter like that. He felt that Capella's grip tightened in his hand. The little boy was looking straight ahead with worried—no frightened look on his face. He looked at the little boy's point of direction. His eyes widened on the scene.

Sakuno… who was a bit shocked looking in front of her. Looking below from her hand, blushing, and her hand was being kissed by someone they didn't know—he didn't know.

He didn't know the guy who was kissing Sakuno's hand, the blonde guy who was a show off in front of everyone. The blonde boy stood up and looked up at them.

"Thank you for taking care of Sakuno for me," The blonde boy said and then looked at Sakuno, "Sorry for being late. Did you wait long?"

Sakuno stared at blue eyes in front of her and blushed later. She shook her head afterwards, "I-I am having fun. D-don't worry."

"I can obviously see that." They knew that his voice was somewhat changed after she said that.

Everyone remained silent. No one dared say a word. Ryoma was thinking hard. _He called her Sakuno. Who is this guy?_ He saw how Sakuno looked at him. It was more on tensed rather than calmed. He also felt the grip Capella was giving him. He took the inquisitive part.

"Who are you?"

The blonde boy was a bit surprised to his blunt question and smiled mockingly, "Well, what a way to ask me that."

Ryoma didn't do anything but waiting for his answer. Sakuno felt the strange aura between them so she tried to break it;

"R-ryoma-kun… t-this is Christopher Von Lloyd Finsborough Kishida, C-chris-kun t-they are my former classmates and senpais."

"Hmmm," Christopher thought hard and smirked, "Aren't you forgetting something?"

"E-eh?!" She blushed for a different reason.

"I am Lord Christopher Von Lloyd Finsborough Kishida, England's Queen's niece," He proudly said. Everyone eyed him but he was not finished yet, "And also…"

To everyone's surprised, the blonde boy wrapped his hand to Sakuno's waist making the girl suddenly flinched, especially to Ryoma when he heard the blonde boy's next words;

"Sakuno's fiancé."

* * *

**Done! Did anyone guess this coming? I think it was pretty cliché. What now? The main reason was finally here. There are revelations to come. I hope you still look up to this chapter so far…**

**Okay… none of the new crossover characters profile is true. There are just figments of my imaginations.**

**Christopher Lloyd** **Finsborough Kishida – Originally known as Von Lloyd Jones. He was actually a comic character from our local funny komiks called Claire. The same author as A.X… Dexter B. Roxas. Von Lloyd has the same trait as Christopher here, grumpy and always mad to his maid named Claire but became her adopted Sister at the end of the story. He was first introduced in the comics as an 8 year old boy but here, he's 17 years old-two years older than the main characters.**

**I do not own. A.X, Claire or any DBR's works. I just want to share them. Complete zero.**

**I posted a new one-shot if you are still free please feel free to read it... thanks...**

**Reviews please! I need to know your opinions about this, especially the progress of my story. I want to know if this is getting good or what? Please… your thoughts please…**

**Domo arigatou guzaimau!**

**Next Chapter: A Proud Fiancé Enters**


	13. A Proud Fiancé Appears

**Sighed… I don't know what to say anymore. I am totally speechless. You can skip this nonsense chit chat and go on with the story… **

**Animax is gone now… and I had consecutive classes at work last night… my head hurts… but I'm not tired, just have a slight pain in the head… Anyway… Please enjoy… ^_^**

**alleesor25 - Hi there... thank you for reading my story... I am really glad that you like it. I am happy to hear from you. Well... I have one-shots in my profile... if you are interested you can read them thank you very much... ^_^**

**DISCLAIMER: I never and not in my next life that will own POT. Capiche?**

* * *

**Chapter 13: A Proud Fiancé Appears**

**Chapter Summary: What was more than meets the eye? Sakuno had a fiancé, how was she going to retaliate to everyone? Especially, how was Ryoma going to react?**

* * *

"_Sakuno I want you to meet…"_

_Her eyes became wide as the door opened…_

_From there, a tall-blonde boy appeared at the door. He was wearing a blue suit from head to toe with white shirt underneath it. His hand was on his waist while the other was freely placed below him. His eyes were closed as he entered the room._

_Reinja continued, "Christopher Von Lloyd Finsbury Kishida."_

_The blonde boy opened his eyes when he heard his name. He looked at her enigmatically._

"_So this is my fair lady, Miss Sakuno Kitazawa."_

_Sakuno stood up as the boy approached her. She flinched when the boy grabbed her hand and kissed it. She blushed because of his action._

"_Please to meet you, milady." Christopher said to her._

_Sakuno nodded as respond. She couldn't utter a word as he was manipulating her to stare at him._

"_My lady, did I catch you already?" the blonde boy smirked at her, "As I expected for my future wife."_

"_E-eh?" She blinked on his words. She couldn't understand anything as her face was showing him. She looked at her parents which Reina gave her answer;_

"_This lord here, in front of you, of us is going to be your future husband." Reina declared, "He's the Queen's niece of England, your fiancé starting today."_

_Due to her shock, she suddenly pulled her hand away from him and reacted, "F-fiance? I-I didn't know about this? M-mom, I-I can't-"_

_She looked at him, "I-I can't be your fiancée, I'm sorry." She walked backwards._

"_Sakuno! Do not be rude in front of your-"_

_Reina was abruptly stopped by Christopher by placing his hand in front of her, "Pardon me, my future mother-in-law, but please let me handle this."_

_The boy looked at her that made her flinched, "You can not change the fact that you are my fiancée now, can you at least give this relationship a chance?"_

_Sakuno was shocked. Everything was rare for her. She became rich in an instant, having expensive clothes, bodyguards, tutors, personal maid and now a Fiancé? She would be next after this? They were asking for the impossible._

"_H-how could I have a fiancé?"_

"_Why dear? Do you have someone you like?"_

_She flinched on her father's words. Then she remembered Ryoma. A pain in her chest stroked her. She looked down as she shook her head undoubtedly._

"_If that's the case, then you should learn to like each other. Get to know each other. Have some time to get together and talk about yourselves." Reinja explained._

_She gripped her hands hard. It was too sudden for her. Why didn't they tell her this beforehand? It might offend Christopher to act like this in front of the boy. She looked at him only to be surprised. The boy was staring back at her… unaffected. There was something in his eyes that was odd. Something that when you object him, he wouldn't want you to know what he would do next. Sakuno somehow understood his message. She wouldn't want to go the other way, opposite to him. Unknowingly, she nodded and said his next words;_

"_I-I'll try."_

* * *

"You have a fiancé?"

She came back from the past when she heard her grandmother's voice. Then she looked around her, from her senpais, Tomoka and then to _him_. She locked her eyes to him. The boy reacted when he heard that. She could notice because his eyes widened a bit. Then she remembered the arm wrapping her waist. She moved quickly to shove his arm;

"C-chris-kun, w-we talked about this, remember?" She said as she faced him, blushing, "I-I said that I'll try."

"But that doesn't change the fact that you are still my fiancée." Chris said staring at her.

Everyone looked at them changing words until Eiji butted in;

"Ryuzaki-chii… You make surprises one after another."

Chris was the one to react, "I am sorry gentleman but she wouldn't go by that name anymore."

Eiji reacted as well as the other regulars. Sumire looked away and the blonde boy noticed her;

"Obaa-san, don't get me the wrong way, you are still Sakuno's grandmother."

Sumire looked at him, "Don't be young man, its okay. She's a Kitazawa now and… probably a Kishida… in the future." She looked at the young tennis prodigy who just pinned his hat down.

The atmosphere was somewhat tense as no one said a word for quite sometime. Chris feint a cough to catch their attention;

"Well, we should take our leave now, it's getting late."

Sumire was the one to reply, "O-okay, take care of her. Sakuno call me when you get home."

Sakuno didn't say something but she nodded. She couldn't register everything that happened right now. She looked at Chris when the boy suddenly grabbed her arm and leaded her outside.

"Let's go," There was an ordering tone in his voice. She hesitatingly followed the boy. Fakir approached and bowed at them. The blonde boy looked at the bodyguard for a while before raising his left arm and slapped him hard at the back of his hand. Everyone was shocked especially Sakuno.

"F-fakir-kun!" she released herself from his grip and went to her bodyguard, "W-why did you do that?"

"He deserved that," The blonde boy was looking down at them with fierce eyes, "For neglecting his job."

"Y-you shouldn't have hit him."

"Let's go, Sakuno." He ignored her words.

"B-but-"

"I said, let's go." He walked ahead after that.

Sakuno was about to say something but Fakir stopped her, "Don't worry about me Mistress, please go ahead."

She looked at him only to see some wound near his lips, "Y-your wounded." She was about to put some compress to his wounded lips but Fakir stopped her once again.

"I'm okay. It's nothing. Please follow him before he gets angry." He said as he bowed in front of her once again.

She reluctantly walked forward to follow her 'fiancé' but before she could go away she looked back and saw everyone. Their faces wore different reactions: Confused, shocked, bewildered, curious and inquisition. She looked at the youngest regular member. He looked back at her but the boy couldn't read by anyone, especially her. He was just staring at her deeply and she could feel that his stare could drown her to some place she didn't know. He was not that so easy to read. She slowly turned away and headed for the exit. She whispered something;

"It isn't goodbye…"

**xxx**

She joined Chris inside his limousine. Capella and the others rode the other car. The boy was drinking his white wine while looking out the window. He instructed his driver to go once she was settled inside. They remained silent for a while before Chris broke it;

"I didn't like what I saw today."

"W-what do you mean?"

Chris looked at her and said, "You embarrassed me in front of your friends."

Sakuno wondered about his words, "I-I don't understand what you mean?"

"How could you deny our relationship to them while I was proud announcing it?"

She flinched when he said that, "B-but I am not you-"

"Stop that stupidness of yours and grow up. Face the fact that you are going to be my wife in the future. You can not escape your destiny." Chris said to her.

She was shocked on his sudden outburst. Destiny? Was she really going to marry this guy in the future? She just met him today and he was blabbing about being his wife and such. She barely knew him. She was a bit nervous that the boy was starting to show his true colors. She could sense that there was more to him that she didn't want to know about. He noticed her silence so he continued to talk;

"I am sorry, I know that we had just met and you barely know me," he said as he reached for her hand and continued, "How about we go on a date tomorrow?"

"D-date?" she blushed.

"Yeah, so that we can get to know each other."

She stared at him for a while. She didn't if it was hypnotism or not but the provocation made her agree to his request. She just realized when she had made when the boy reacted and let go of her hand.

"It's settled then. I'll pick you up tomorrow at nine in the morning."

She nodded once again and then looked outside the window. Her mind was leading her to nowhere. She was having her first date with him. Her first date with someone she barely knew.

* * *

**At the mansion:**

Ahiru stared in front of her door that evening. Her lips were slightly opened, her cheeks were blushing, she couldn't breathe well, and blue eyes met dark green eyes. Fakir was standing in front of her; she was stunned and petrified from her location.

"Do you have a medicine kit there?"

She flinched when the average man spoke, returning from her reverie. That's the time she noticed that the young man had a bruise near his lips, "Y-y-yo-you're wounded!" she panicked flailing her fingers at him.

Fakir sighed as he sweat dropped, "That's why I am asking for a medicine kit."

She stopped panicking and remembered what was he asking for, "O-oh yeah, I-I have it," she said as she asked him to go inside. Fakir accepted the offer and went inside her room. He watched the girl getting all busy 'finding' her medicine kit. Another sweat drop was created from his head when the girl found the kit with joy.

She began tending his wound. She couldn't stop blushing when she was staring at his lips. She knew that the boy was looking at her as well. She tried to start a conversation to ease the tense, "W-what happened?"

He didn't reply right away. He waited for her to stare at his eyes before saying anything, "Sakuno-sama's fiancé arrived earlier and slapped me for my negligence."

"W-what? Y-you didn't anything wrong. I-I know that." She looked down as she was trying to tend his wound but her move was wrong that made him irk a little.

"You should watch me when you are tending my bruise." He said grabbing her hand with the cotton on it.

She blushed when he said that. They're faces were so close to each other. She managed to apologize and continued curing him.

"Lord Chris blamed me for that and this is what I got," He said still looking at the orange haired girl in front of her, "They will be having their first date tomorrow."

"E-eh?" She stopped for a while and stared at him, "T-the mistress? N-no wonder she was looking all sad this night," She dropped the cotton down meaning she had finished tending his wound, "I hope the mistress will be all right, tomorrow."

He looked at her for the last time before looking at the window, "I hope too."

* * *

**Sunday 8:30Am:**

Her phone rang that made her flinched. She thought that it was Chris who had called her but she felt relieved when Fuji was the one calling. She answered the call;

'F-fuji-senpai… O-ohayou guzaimasu.'

"Ohayou, Ryuzaki-chan," The other line said, "How are you today?"

"I'm fine. Thank you for asking."

Silence was the replied she could get on the other line but later the tensai spoke;

"You don't sound like it. Spill it, Ryuzaki-chan."

"F-fuji-senpai…" She sensed that Fuji could read her so she didn't lie to him anymore, "I-I am having my first date with Chris-kun today."

"I see… are you bothered?"

She mumbled while shaking her head as if the tensai could see her, "i-it's just that, this will be my first date to someone… someone that I don't… l-like." She couldn't bring the words to her mouth.

"I don't have the right to say this but… try to go on this date and see for yourself after that."

She remained silent for a while before answering him, "M-maybe you're right."

"Well, do you know where you are going?"

"I-I think we will go to Tokyo or something."

"What about your cover?"

"Ahiru-chan prepared the perfect disguise for me."

"Sou ka." Fuji said. Silence was erupted once again, "Be careful okay."

"H-hai, thank you senpai."

She ended the call after that. She put her cell phone inside her pocket bag and then headed to the life-size mirror. She probed her reflection there. She was wearing a long thin sweater that overlapping her mini skirt, and a white knee-length boots. Her hair was kept in twin braids while wearing a beanie on her head. She had black glasses to wear on. A total disguise indeed.

Thus, her phone rang again… Chris was on the other line of the phone.

* * *

**Meanwhile:**

Oishi, Kawamura, Inui, Momo and Ryoma were at the public court because of an announcement.

"I wonder why Fuji asked us to go here." Oishi asked the rest.

"Beats me. I don't have any idea." Kawamura said who accepted Fuji's request since it was an important one.

Ryoma just stood there. He preferred staying at home but Momo went to their house and dragged him out of there. He was annoyed because of that.

Soon after Kaidoh and Eiji arrived.

"Hoi, hoi! Is Fuji here yet?" Eiji announced while waving his hand to them.

"Not yet, senpai. Do you know why he called us here?" Momo asked him.

The acrobatic player just shook his head, "but he asked us to go to the train station right away."

"Che," Ryoma retorted, "What a waste of time."

Ryoma was about to walk out, Momo grabbed his neckline and dragged him again.

"L-let go senpai!"

"You are going with us… whether you like it or not." He said as they walked to the station tagging him along.

**xxx**

"WHAT!" Everyone was shocked when they heard Fuji's plan for today.

"We will track Ryuzaki-chan and her fiancé's date today!" Oishi and Eiji said at the same time.

Fuji just smiley nodded. Everyone reacted and looked at each other.

"Do you know where they are?"

Fuji nodded once again. They wondered how but no one asked him that. Ryoma just 'tch-ed' and attempted to go away but Inui blocked him with his 'medicine.'

"Try to leave and you will have this."

Ryoma reacted as he stayed away from the 'medicine.' When everyone didn't object they boarded the train and off to Tokyo.

* * *

**Tokyo City:**

Their target was found that easily. The girl was in disguise and so as the boy. They were wearing pretty normal and ordinary outfit. No one could suspect that they were belonged to a well-known family. They trailed them wherever they went. Momo and Eiji were saying their observation, while Fuji was still trying to contact Tezuka about the trailing but the tennis captain always dropped the call. Kawamura, Kaidoh and Oishi were still staring at their moves. Inui was keeping Ryoma to his place in case the tennis prodigy attempted to walk away.

_Why did they have to bring me to this? They should mind their own business. Th_e young lad thought.

"L-look, Lloydie is taking advantage on our Ryuzaki-chii!" Eiji alarmed the rest and made everyone look at them.

"L-loydie?" Oishi muttered.

The blonde boy took the girl's hand in an instant and dragged her along the way.

Oishi hit his partner on the head, "Baka, that's not an advantage. How can you be so paranoid?"

"Hey! Stop hitting on the head. Mou…" Eiji said rubbing his head, "and I am not paranoid okay."

Ryoma on the other hand, gripped his hands inside his pockets. He looked down as he followed his senpais who were following the two ahead.

**xxx**

She was blushing. Her hand was on his. The boy suddenly grabbed her hand. It felt different but not weird. Different from the way _HE _held them when they were injured from the punishment. The hand that was holding her right now was simple in an odd way. She couldn't compare it from the other one. She was beginning to worry about that.

They went to a fancy store a couple should normally do. Chris leaded her to accessories and jewelries. Then they went to an arcade shop and played there. He took her to an aquarium plaza and viewed all marine animals there. Sakuno was beginning to wonder about something and she asked him;

"C-chris-kun… h-how did you know all of this?"

Chris looked at her from the koi fish that they were viewing but he didn't say anything so she continued talking;

"I-I mean you're from a noble family. T-that's all I know a-and I think t-this kind of d-date is… impossible."

He closed his eyes and looked back staring at those swimming fish inside the large aquarium, "I love disguising myself when I was little so I know how normal people do when they go on a date."

"I see." She nodded.

They went some places and she was right. She was beginning to know him. His nobility was still there as they ate in a luxury restaurant, he wouldn't like going to amusement park because it was a loud place, he wouldn't let anyone touched by commoners, he often fought by the seller if he thought that the price wasn't right. Sakuno was getting embarrassed when the boy was shouting and catching everyone's attention. She was a bit scared like the blonde boy had split personality. She was in deep thought when somebody bumped her from the back. The man apologized to her and Sakuno smiled telling him that it was okay, but not to Christopher;

"Hey! You commoner! Why did you do that to my fiancée? Do you have any manner?" he shouted grabbing the man in the collar.

"I-I apologized to her, that's an accident." The man defended himself.

"You did that on purpose!"

"I-I am not! Let go of me! Where are your manners, young man?"

Sakuno panicked. She saw how Chris gritted his teeth; she grabbed one of his arms and said something, "C-chris-kun! S-stop it! He apologized already, just let him go."

Chris didn't listen to her, instead he shove her away, "Back off! Sakuno!" with the impact, she fell on the ground causing her beanie and glasses to fell down as well.

The both men looked at her direction. The man stared at her for a while and then a memory suddenly registered, "Y-you are Kitazawa Sakuno, the long lost daughter of the Kitazawa clan!"

She jerked up when she heard her identity. Everyone surrounded her and she panicked. She was able to stand up but the people around her just couldn't let her get away. _W-what did it come to this? H-help me… _she screamed in her mind and asked help for she didn't know who. Out of reverie, someone grabbed her hand. She was swiftly drawn away from the crowd. She looked at her savior but the light was too bright so she thought that the hair belonged to _him._

_R-ryoma-kun?_

The light disappeared and the hair color changed. He looked at her, "are you okay?"

She flinched when she recognized the voice. It belonged to her savior, "H-hai, t-thank you Chris-kun."

**xxx**

The Seigaku boys were shocked on the scenes whenever Chris did something that was out of the question. They had different reactions on their faces. But they ended up with one conclusion… they didn't like it.

The tennis prodigy was not that easy to read. But deep inside, he didn't like it as well. Especially when the blonde boy held her hand a while ago and when the boy saved her from those people.

"I should be the one doing that." he muttered almost audibly as he pinned his hat down. No one heard him except for one tennis tensai.

**xxx**

They stopped at a certain place. They were both catching their breaths.

"T-thank you again, C-chris-kun."

"Do you think that I should have a reward for saving you?"

"E-eh?" before she could ask what he meant by that. The boy walked closer to her as he cupped her chin and tilted it. Her eyes became wide as she guessed what the blonde boy was planning to do. Before he could do that she pushed herself away from him.

"W-what are you doing?" the blonde boy retorted.

"C-chris-kun, I-I know that w-we are a couple…b-but I can't give you what you wanted… y-yet… p-please understand me." she said looking down as she blushed.

He remained silent for a while before sighing, "Alright, I'll give you time. I know that you will learn to love me so I can wait."

She felt happy because of that. She thanked the blonde boy once again. They went home after that. They met with her parents and was being announced that her recognition was scheduled at a later time so she had to make preparations for the said event. Chris went home after that. His home was just on the other city since his parents were there. She would be meeting them during the recognition day. She went to her room with Hayate's assistance.

* * *

**11pm:**

She was about to sleep when she sat up again as she head her phone's ringing tone. She reached out for her phone and stared who was calling her;

"R-ryoma-kun?" she was shocked to see her caller. She picked it up, "h-hello?"

"You said that you aren't going to lie to me anymore."

She reacted on his words, "I-I didn't… I-I met Chris-kun yesterday a-and you just saw him as well… s-same as mine."

"…"

"I-it's true, Ryoma-kun… p-please believe me." she felt that her heart was breaking because of that.

"… I believe you."

She was overwhelmed when she heard him say that but she remembered something that made her sad. Ryoma noticed her;

"What's wrong?"

"I-I remembered something. I-I haven't told you everything yet."

"What is it?"

She didn't talk for a while because she didn't know how to tell it to him.

"Say it, Ryuzaki."

"R-remember the day that we met? I-I kind of knew that event of yours-but I didn't know that you were actually doing the event in the same mall that I was in."

"… Then how?"

"Fuji-senpai and I had communications three days after the day I left Seigaku," She said, "I-I met him during my first photo shoot at their company." She held her breathe waiting for his reply. She knew that telling the truth to him would make him mad at her once again. If he did, then she would just accept it.

"I knew there was something odd about those photos."

"E-eh?"

"Senpai was telling me something about those photos and now it was all clear to me."

"W-what do you mean?"

"The smiles you had in those photos, the reason why you had them that time."

Sakuno blushed. She knew what the boy meant. Fuji made her smile like that because of one person and she was talking to him right now. She didn't pay attention on his words that he was saying and when she realized that she did, she returned to him again.

"I know you are not paying attention to what I am saying."

Bull's eye. He got her there, "s-sorry? W-what were you saying again?"

Ryoma didn't reply to her. Silence was on the other line.

"R-ryoma-kun…"

"I am glad you didn't kiss him."

Her eyes widened. His words were slowly sinking into her mind.

"ja." He ended the call after that.

Her phone was still on her ear… hearing the busy tone from the other line. She slowly put her phone down to her lap and whispered something;

"He was… there…"

* * *

**Done! Okay, this is the longest chapter I ever made. I couldn't control myself from writing. Well, tell me how did you find this one? Reviews please… Domo… ^_^**

**Speaking of one-shots you can check them from time to time... because if I really have a time posting some it would be weekly... _Musical One-Shots Compilations_ is now UPDATED. ^_^**

**Pahabol about Chris – His name full name should be Christopher Von Lloyd Finsbury Kishida. It should be Finsbury not Finsborough. Anyway, that name along with Kishida were a random search on the internet… Don't get confused.**

**Next Chapter: Mixed Feelings**


	14. Mixed Feelings

**Hello! Next chapter is up now… I nervous I don't why... I hope someone could help with this uneasy feeling that I have... Anyway... Please enjoy... ^_^**

**Lyfa - tee hee hee... surprise, surprise... I guess... Sakuno can still control the situation... well... do not worry... I have better plans on *kissing* part... just stay tuned for that... ^_^**

**DISCLAIMER: Tennis Prince - All rights reserved to Konomi Takeshi-sensei.**

* * *

**Chapter 14: Mixed Feelings**

**Chapter Summary: When her fiancé appeared, something changed inside him. Especially when they made an announcement in the public…**

* * *

**Saturday, National Tournament:**

Doubles 6-4, 7-5, Singles 3-5.

Seishun Gakuen was competing for the finals against Rikkai Dai. The Doubles two match was won by Inui and Kaidoh pair against Yagyuu and Niou, the same between doubles one of Oishi and Eiji to Marui and Jakal. One more win and they would win the tournament… again. Singles three was not finished yet. A fight between Momoshiro and Renji was getting heated up. Momoshiro was on the disadvantage. Renji calculated every move of his and Momo was having a hard time to catch up.

Ryoma on the other hand was watching them from the bench. If Momoshiro lost his game, it would his turn to play… against Kirihara. He focused himself on the game when Inui suddenly talked;

"Sensei, I have received an announcement," He said fixing his glasses on his eyes, "it's about your granddaughter."

Everyone from the fence looked at their data analyzer, waiting for the announcement.

"Well what is it?" Sumire said.

"Today, the Kitazawa will introduce her as a member of their family in public. She will be recognized as their daughter from now on."

Everyone remained silent.

"Ryuzaki-chii is getting hard to reach now." Eiji commented.

Ryoma looked away and Fuji noticed him. The tensai was about to say something when the data analyzer continued;

"Not only that…" Inui looked at this notebook, thinking on how to say the next words, "This is the day that she would introduce her fiancé to everyone."

Amber-eyes became widened but he didn't look at them.

"Is she really… going to do that?" Sumire reacted when no one said a word from the shock.

"Well, there will be 70% that she wasn't be the one to introduce him but I am not pretty sure about the details yet."

"Where did you get all these information, Inui?" Fuji asked him.

Inui closed his notebook and said, "That's classified information."

"Ahh-That's unfair, Inui." Eiji retorted but Inui didn't say more words after that.

Ryoma shifted his stare back on the game. _So… she's going to do it…_ He gripped his racket really hard as he was thinking of something. Deep inside him, he didn't like the idea of this recognition thing. He felt like the auburn pigtailed girl was slowly drifting apart from them, like she was difficult to approach when she was being recognized by the public.

"Echizen."

He looked at the person who called him. Fuji was at the side of the bench. The tensai was leaning on the backrest before deciding to sit beside him.

"How are you feeling?"

It took seconds before Ryoma said something, "I am not nervous at all."

"I am not talking about the game," Fuji said staring at the match like Ryoma did, "I am talking about Ryuzaki-chan."

Ryoma kept his glare at the match, "What about her?"

"She's engaged."

"We all know that."

"So how are you feeling?"

Ryoma looked at him, "Why are you asking me this?"

"Are you happy? …Sad? …Furious? …Mad?"

Ryoma stood up, "Fuji senpai!" he raised his voice a _very_ little louder making everyone to look at him.

"…Or jealous?

Ryoma was a bit shocked on his words.

Jealous…?

Why would he be? Who was she to him anyway?

"Admit it Echizen, you have feelings for her."

He remained silent. Fuji's words were slowly absorbing into his mind. Did he? He was not sure yet?

"Fuji made it this time."

They looked at the both of them. Eiji teased him a bit more.

"We all know that since the very beginning."

"What are you going to do now?" Inui asked him.

Ryoma just stared at everyone. He didn't say anything to them. Soon after, the crowd went wild. The Singles three ended and Renji won against Momoshiro. He pinned his hat down as he looked away from them. Momo approached them and tapped Ryoma's shoulder.

"I am sorry everyone. I lost." He looked down.

"Heki! Heki! Momo-chii. Echizen will definitely win this one." Eiji commented to ease the tense.

Ryoma walked towards the court to play. Momo looked at him and wondered. The boy never said a thing to him and that was odd for him.

"What's wrong with Echizen?"

Fuji looked at him and said, "Love problem."

The dunk smasher blinked twice, "E-eh?"

**xxx**

He stood there where Kirihara was on the other side of the court. The still youngest Rikkai Dai regular member dared him as he raised his racket in front of him.

"Get ready to lose, brat."

Ryoma didn't reply to him. He stayed still at his location gripping his racket hard. Kirihara became pissed that he didn't receive any reply from him.

"Hey! Why don't you say something? Are you mute? Cat caught your tongue?" he asked spontaneously.

_Admit it Echizen, you have feelings for her._

Ryoma was still thinking on what Fuji had said to him. He was confused. He wasn't paying to Kirihara's taunting words. Actually he felt odd, something that was mixed inside him and he couldn't name them. He gritted his teeth and 'tch'-ed.

Kirihara was shocked as well as both teams. Ryoma was showing 'that' aura and the game hadn't even started yet.

"M-muga no kyouchi?!" Momo retorted.

Everyone was shocked. Ryoma was going to use Self-of-Actualization against Kirihara.

"Baka." Tezuka uttered as he crossed his arms. Sumire just smiled at him.

Ryoma looked at him and said, "I'm sorry, Kirihara-san but I won't let this game play for too long. I'll defeat you 10 minutes."

Kirihara was shocked and was able to retaliate after that, "Don't be too full of yourself." He said as he transformed into Devil Mode. He was able to control himself when he used that mode that's why everyone around him was not that worried anymore.

The game started which Ryoma was doing the service game. For making the game faster, he used his twist serve that made him ace the service-the first set to be précised. It didn't last for more than two minutes. Kirihaya managed to catch up with the second set. Ryoma smirked after that.

"Mada mada dane, Kirihara-san." Ryoma said doing his serve this time, "This is where you stop."

The game continued. Everyone was shocked on Ryoma's performance. Kirihara used Muga no Kyouchi as well but that didn't stop the tennis prodigy to score a lot of points. That aura between them was long gone before Ryoma scored for the last time.

It was the last point in favor for him which was a drop shot with a heavy backspin and could make the ball move towards the net rather than bouncing towards Kirihara.

"It was…" Oishi muttered.

"Tezuka's zero-shiki drop shot." Fuji continued. Tezuka just fixed his glasses when he saw that.

"6 games to 4, Game set and Match! Echizen Ryoma! Seigaku wins!" the umpire announced.

Inui pressed the end button of his stopwatch, "9 minutes and 30 seconds. That was really fast."

Seigaku regulars and cheerers shouted for their victory. They won the tournament this year once again.

Kirihara Akaya stood up on the net as he shook his hand to him, "Heh, you were different today."

Ryoma tilted his head, "What do you mean?"

"Something made you different that's why you won against me," Kirihara smirked, "Or rather I should say someone."

"What?!"

"Well, you got this one. Congratulations, "He said as he walked away waving his hand to him, "but I won't go easy on you next time."

Ryoma walked back to the others and as usual they grabbed him by their locks and grips and congratulated him for winning the game.

"Hey, let's inform Kawamura about this, let's go there now." The vice captain announced to everyone.

"Sounds good, let's go there." Eiji agreed.

When they were fixing their things the Rikkai Dai approached and congratulated them.

"Congratulations on winning the tournament, Tezuka-san," Yukimura greeted him as he offered his hand, "Too bad we didn't meet at the court."

Tezuka accepted the handshake, "Yeah, I wish to play with you next time."

Rikkai Dai's captain nodded and then looked at their youngest regular member, "Your rookie is really powerful. He is really something."

The Seigaku captain looked at Ryoma before looking back at him, "We are proud to have him in our team."

"Well, we'll take our leave now. Good luck on your future games."

"Same to you."

**xxx**

Seigaku tennis team left the place without making a fuss. Eiji kept making nonsense talk with Momo and Oishi while Fuji was calling Kawamura that they would go to visit the restaurant. He also announced that they won although, the powerhouse player knew about that already. The game was aired live so he was watching it the whole time. Kaidoh was talking to Inui to improve some of his techniques.

The others remained silent including Ryoma. The silent people were interrupted by Eiji's words;

"Everyone! Look over there!" Eiji reacted recklessly as he pointed a big billboard just across the city that they had just exited. The bus that they were riding was running slowly so they were able to look at what the acrobatic player was pointing at.

Their eyes widened and remained speechless because of the shock. The billboard was featuring Sakuno. She was appearing at different posts, clothes, expressions and actions. Ryoma stared on the big screen as he stuck his eyes on the girl as she was being zoomed in from the giant billboard. Fuji was the only one who could see his reaction. Later on, the announcement of her recognition was being aired.

"So, it is finally starting." Fuji uttered. They saw a man with an almond-colored hair and blue eyes. At his side there was a very fine lady with crimson red hair and jade-like eyes.

'We won't let you wait any longer, with no further ado, our daughter and the heiress of the Kitazawa household, Sakuno Kitazawa.' The man talked whom they known the second wealthiest person in Japan.

Later on, the girl in red dress appeared in front of a large staircase. Her hair was put up with little curls at the back of her neck, some strands of her hair was at the sides of her cheek. Her red silk gloves were long until her elbow. And a blushing face with slight make up could be seen on the screen. The girl bowed in front of the crowd and swiftly voiced out her name;

'I am pleased to meet you all, my name is Kitazawa Sakuno.' She gave the brightest smile that she could give. Tons of picture shots and murmurs approached her ears and to everyone who was watching the scene.

"Sensei, she's very beautiful." Oishi said to his coach while staring at the large screen.

"Sakuno."

Tezuka saw their coach how she gripped both of her hands. He knew that she was having a hard time right now. Not long before, Reinja said another words;

'For more revelations, I want everyone to know that our daughter's future life with her is right here with us. Please welcome, Christopher Von Lloyd Finsbury Kishida.'

Another set of murmurs from the crowd could be heard. Ryoma was staring at the screen… sternly. Everyone in the bus was having their different reactions. They saw the boy appeared from the place where Sakuno came from and walked down the aisle to reach her. The boy kissed her hand that made the crowd screamed in envious. The blonde boy looked good in his appearance. He looked like a real prince in his white-gold outfit. The color of his suit was fitted to his fair skin. The girls around him made them so out of their mind.

"So the guy can make a fuss too." Momo retorted.

"What a show off!" Eiji said, "I still prefer Echizen-chan for our Ryuzaki-chii."

"I know Ryuzaki-chan wouldn't pick him. She still has the right to choose who she will pick." Oishi was worried as he looked at their coach and to the youngest regular member of the team who was on the upper part of the bus sitting near the tennis tensai.

Ryoma was sitting with Momo but when they saw the billboard, the latter stood up to have a closer look. Ryoma on the other hand, having sharp eyes could see the scene clearly. Eiji also had the ability to see things clearly as well. They could understand what was happening because of Eiji's information. Ryoma was still staring at the large screen as if he was thinking of something.

Everyone shared their reactions because of the blonde-boy-self-proud appearance and they made a commotion after that. Sumire asked them to stop as the noise inside of the bus was getting higher and tenser. Fuji was smiling at them suspiciously.

"I should be the one there… in _his_ place."

Fuji looked at the young tennis prodigy. The boy was pinning his hat down as he fixed his self on the chair. He was not planning to look back on the screen. The tensai smirked as he cleared something. The bus started to move again after that.

* * *

**Later on Kawamura restaurant:**

"CHEERS!"

Everyone shouted as they lifted their soda up high. They were complete celebrating for their victory. Sumire even invited Tomoka for cheering on them. They were rejoicing and would've been happier except for one.

"I wish Sakuno-chan was here…"

Sumire looked at the girl beside her. Tomoka saw the announcement as well. The girl was having a hard time accepting all at once. She didn't like Sakuno's fiancé when she saw him slapped one of her best friend's bodyguards.

"Just be happy for her, Tomoka. She wouldn't like to see you all sad like that." Sumire tapped her shoulder.

"But to be forced like that… I know that she was… how could she not object? It's the Kitazawa's that we are talking about," She said making her voice a little louder that made some of the regulars look at her, "Knowing Sakuno-chan she doesn't have the guts to oppose them. She's just… like her."

Everyone remained silent, absorbing Tomoka's words. Sakuno was easily get manipulated. If no one saved her there then she would ended up with him.

"I believe in the Kitazawa's, they wouldn't let my granddaughter suffer like that," Sumire said facing everyone and then to her, "just trust Sakuno."

Tomoka stared at her for a while before someone said something.

"Sensei's right. Let's believe in Ryuzaki-chan." Oishi stood up and raised his soda. Momo and Eiji stood up as well after nodding to the mother hen and then they were followed by the others.

"Let's have this victory for double!" Inui almost shouted and followed by everyone. They all stood up except for Ryoma. Tezuka stood up and agreed but he didn't shout.

**xxx**

After eating, they sang there and made jokes. Ryoma decided to stand up and walked to the exit.

"Where are you going?" Momo noticed him.

"Practice," Ryoma said as he put his hat back to his head before exiting the door, "Thank you for the food."

Momo blinked twice and wondered, "What a dedicated kid…"

Fuji watched the door that the boy exited. He was thinking of something that no one could read. Everyone continued their activities and became pale when Inui took out his new 'invention.' Kawamura house sweat dropped.

**xxx**

He did practice at a public tennis court. Since it's already dark, there were not much people practicing there so he could concentrate hard. He rallied on the wall for several times. He added force on every hit he returned to and fro on the wall. He was practicing there for ages trying to forget something… or someone. Suddenly, an image of a certain pigtailed girl appeared in his mind that blocked the picture of the ball in front of him. He snapped because of that thought, he missed the shot as it went passed him. He stood straight as he fixed his hat. He went to the nearest bench and sat there. He grabbed a can of ponta and drank it up bottomless. When he freshened up, he looked ahead of him. He gave up on the thought, he was thinking of her right now. The way her life changed, being separated to them, meeting new friends… and having a fiancé.

He looked down as he was trying to forget the thought but no matter what he did, it wouldn't vanish. It was real. Sakuno had a fiancé, a proud fiancé to be precised and he wouldn't like him… he wouldn't like it. Desperately didn't like him. He stretched both of his legs as he leaned back to stare at the clear darkening sky. He stared there for a while with the softening eyes.

"Ryuzaki…" He uttered.

The wind blew after that. It was cold but he didn't mind it. He didn't care. He snapped back to his position when someone coughed near him. He looked behind to see the tennis tensai standing near him.

"F-fuji-senpai, what are you doing here?" he asked. _How long was he standing there?_ He thought thinking that he might hear the only word that he said that night.

Fuji moved and sat beside him, "Everyone went home and Taka-san asked me to look for you, so here I am."

"I see, I'm sorry." Ryoma looked straight ahead like the tensai was doing.

"After you left, we received an announcement from Ryuzaki-chan's mother. She said that Seigaku boy's tennis club are invited on their two events: One is the opening of the recreation center which is near the city and two is Ryuzaki-chan's live performance." Fuji explained to him.

Ryoma looked at him stoically but the tensai was not finished yet.

"You have a special participation there, Echizen."

"Me?"

"You will teach the girl about aiming for a shot. I don't know the details but you will know when you meet them."

Ryoma looked away after that. What was going on? Just when he was adjusting from the previous one there was this new announcement. He didn't reply anything to him. He let the wind talked for them.

But not for long as he saw the tensai move.

Fuji put both of his clasped hands on his knee as he said his next words, "I haven't got a direct answer from you earlier."

Ryoma looked at him dumbfoundedly, "what do you mean?"

"Echizen, you know what I mean," Fuji said being serious, "you wouldn't say those words inside the bus if you are not jealous."

Ryoma was a bit shocked. So he heard him talk there.

"You wouldn't act wild in your match a while ago if you were not affected on what was happening."

"What are you saying?" he still stated the fact, "I don't get you."

"And you wouldn't sit here lazily and blurted out her name all of the sudden."

Ryoma's amber-golden eyes widened. Fuji looked at him and saw his reaction. He smiled as he said his next words;

"You like her…"

He gripped his racket in his hand hard. Did he? He wasn't sure about it. But the words that were coming from his senpai were interesting and it was even more interesting when the tensai added;

"You wanted to see her, hear her voice, feel her presence or look how she would blush in front of you," Fuji said as he stood up, "If you still don't get it, see for yourself… before it's too late."

Fuji waved his hand as he started to walk away from him. He was left there leaving a lot of thoughts inside his mind. He was so damn confused. There were words from his senpai that he couldn't admit and he didn't like it. It was complicated. Soon after, he stood up having those thoughts in his head while heading home.

* * *

**The Echizen's Residence:**

"Tadaima…" it was low hoping that no one could hear him. But as long as he stepped on the staircase, Nanjiroh started bugging him. His father knew the competition already and he started to annoy him. He ignored his father until he reached his room.

"Baka no oyaji." He said when his father decided to give up on banging his door when Rinko scolded him. The couple left his door afterwards. Not a minute passed, his phone rang. He looked at the screen only to be surprised.

Sakuno was calling him.

For the first time in his life, he felt that his heart beat faster well not that fast as everyone could imagine… for a girl. He calmed himself down as he pushed the call button.

"Un" he simply replied.

The girl fidgeted on the other line as if he could see her, "R-ryoma-kun, I-I watched your game… a-although it's only recorded. C-congratulations on winning the tournament…"

"Thanks."

Silence erupted after that.

_Come on Ryoma, talk._ He silently said that to himself. He was about to say something when the girl interrupted.

"W-well that was all I've got to say. S-sorry for disturbing you. b-bye-"

"I saw you today."

"E-eh?!"

"On billboard… about your recognition..."

"I-I see."

"Is it true?"

"W-what is it?"

"About you and him." He couldn't stop his mouth. He cursed himself after asking that. He was selling himself to the girl. Darn confusion he had right now.

The girl wasn't able to reply for a while, "W-we may be a couple in public… b-but we are not in reality. Y-you see… w-we discussed that matter already. M-my parents agreed on that and Chris-kun understood me."

"Sou ka." He said. He was not sure but he felt relieved upon hearing that from her. But there were uncertainties why he felt that something was missing but he disposed it for a while.

"Remember this, Ryuzaki," Ryoma told her the rightful words to say… at least for the meantime, "I will never like him for you."

"E-eh? Ryoma-kun?"

"You heard me so think first before making a decision."

Sakuno didn't reply until later, "O-okay…"

After they agreed to each other, he ended up the call. He didn't clarify about the news he heard today, the girl didn't open it up to him, probably she didn't have any idea and her mother let them knew before she did. She would probably be panicking if she heard it from him so he let the news to spill away. He put this phone on his headboard and lied down afterwards. Karupin who was lying on the ground, stood up and went to its master beside the bed. He was thinking all what happened today. From Fuji's and Kirihara's meaningful words until Sakuno's sudden call. His eyes became half-opened as they became soft. A small smile formed on his face. It was not clear but he was beginning to realize something…

Of all things, he wanted to hear her voice.

* * *

**Done! How was this one? It's Ryoma's POV this time. I think Ryoma was getting Ooc in my story. Was he still okay? I mean the way I portrayed him here?... please tell me your thoughts…**

**Thank you for supporting my stories... minna-san... For those who want to be appreciated please let me sense your presense... Domo... ^_^**

**Reviews please! I(one) word will be highly appreciated by MitsukiJunko… ^_^**

**Next Chapter: Sakuno's Pillar of Support **


	15. Sakuno's Pillar of Support

**Hi there! Thank you one again for being there for me and for my stories. Thank you for reading not only this story but also to my other stories as well. I will do my best to make better chapters… please enjoy this one… I hope… ^_^**

**precious jewel - thank you for the sweet words... tee hee hee... You will that once my story ends...;P but you will see more RyoSaku scenes if you continue reading this and I'll tell you it is far from the ending... thank you very much... ^_^**

**saina - thank you for the wonderful words... well... I have lots of ideas between... and actually the ending is kinda far from the current chapter... anyway, I hope you will like this chapter as well... Thanks... ^_^**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own TeniPuri. Ryoma does eheheh…**

* * *

**Chapter 15: Sakuno's Pillar of Support**

**Chapter Summary: He slowly understood himself… For his feelings… He was motivated by his Captain, Tennis Tensai and Vice-Captain's words. See how they did it in this chapter. **

* * *

Amber eyes met hazel eyes. Both were staring in surprised as they could hear the announcement of the Kitazawa couple. They were in a luxury private restaurant of the family where her grandmother, the tennis Captain and the youngest prodigy were invited to dine in that night. And as for her, who didn't have any idea about the upcoming event and then was all dressed up without knowing who would she meet with her fiancé that night. Her, wearing a white dress with her hair ponytailed at her back while the bottom part was curled and ironed. Her reverie was cut when Reina talked;

"Sakuno you are going to open the recreation center that we built for almost a year of constructing and we are going to use tennis for the opening."

She shifted her eyes from him to her mother, "H-how am I going to do that?"

"You play tennis, right?" Her mother asked that.

She nodded, "b-but I am not that good."

"So I've heard," she said and then looked at Sumire, "That's why I asked Sumire-obaa-san to help you with the opening."

"That's right, Sakuno. Don't worry," Sumire assured her, "I wouldn't be a great coach of Seigaku tennis club for nothing."

"Sensei is right," Tezuka butted in, "I will lend Echizen to teach the both of you."

Ryoma and Sakuno both reacted on the tennis captain's words.

"Both?" Ryoma was the one to recover.

The blonde boy answered his words, "We will do the opening together for your information."

They stared at each other. Definitely, he didn't like the boy in front of him and he could sense that the blonde boy did feel the same for him.

"So, it's settled then. We will have Echizen-san as our guest for the following week," Reinja said looking at him, "You will teach them starting tomorrow. I'll give you the location of the place, later on."

Ryoma sighed. He agreed after all and besides he could see the girl for the whole week… with her annoying fiancé in public.

Sakuno couldn't look at the both of them. She was nervous. Nervous because she didn't know if she could do well on the opening ceremony… nervous because it was Ryoma who was going to teach them.

"The first event plan is settled. Now for Sakuno's live performance is next." Reina interrupted.

Sakuno reacted on her mother's words, "M-my live performance?"

Reina nodded, "I know that you will be surprised about this. Sakuno, expect for more surprises now that you became one of us. Tonight at the opening, there will be some performances being held and you will be the front act. You are going to sing at least two songs at the opening."

Sakuno froze from her seat. She didn't expect that. When she didn't say any respond, five sets of eyes did have some different reactions.

"Are you okay?" Ryoma was the one to recover.

She shook her head to everyone's surprise, "N-no, I'm not. I'm not good at this, m-mother," she looked at her and then to her grandmother, "O-obaa-chan, you know me well. I'm not good at dealing with people especially if they are staring at me. I can't sing."

Reina reached for her hand that made her flinch and looked at her, "Dear, its okay. We will be there, we promise you this time. Besides, we hired some good tutor for your voice. She will be there tomorrow to teach you."

"b-but-"

"Don't worry," Christopher said holding the other hand of hers and squeezed it, "You are a Kitazawa. You can do it."

She smiled on his words but she was still nervous. She didn't have any confidence about facing people in front of her.

Ryoma was staring on her hand that he was holding. For some reason, he didn't like it. If it was not rude to cross over and separate his annoying hand from her he would have done it long ago. He clenched his hands under the table to suppress his anger. Because of his natural talent, he was able to fake his emotions and remained _stoic_ in front of them.

"Everything is clear now. We will all see you at the recreation center tomorrow morning," Reinja announced as he stood up stretching his hands to them and lastly to him, "Don't worry Echizen, Seishun high provided you a special attention since you are excellent at all subjects, you are exempted for the whole week."

He nodded, "Thank you Kitawaza-san," he looked at Sakuno after that, "I'll see you tomorrow."

She nodded and hoping that she was able to hide her shy nature towards him, "h-hai."

They went on separate ways after that.

* * *

**At her room:**

"Sakuno-onee-chan!" Capella was whispering from the veranda of her room. She went near it and opened the door. The little boy hugged her knee, "Where were you? I didn't see you here."

She smiled, "Gomen ne, Capella-kun. Onee-chan was outside just a while ago. I met Ryoma-kun today."

"P-ponta-onii-chan?" Capella looked at her, "Really, I wished I was there. I like him too."

She blushed on his words, "Don't worry. You will see him on the opening day of the recreation center."

Capella was happy when she said that to him. His reactions changed when he continued talking, "Actually, I like him more than Lord Chris-Guy. I hope Ponta-onii-chan will be the one you marry someday."

She blushed really hard because of the boy's words, "C-capella-kun… p-please don't say that. A-and don't you ever tell that to him or to Chris-kun… o-okay."

The boy was about to say something when someone knocked on her door.

"Sakuno-sama, are you still awake?" Ahiru said on the other side of the door.

She sighed of relief to know that it was only Ahiru who was knocking on the door. Ahiru and Fakir were the only ones who knew that Capella was sleeping on her bed some nights. The two seemed to be okay with it, "Come in, Ahiru-chan!"

Ahiru opened the door from the outside and saw the two of them at the veranda, "Ah! Capella-kun you are here to bug the mistress once again."

"Its okay, Onee-chan said I could come every night." He pouted after saying that.

Her personal maid sighed and smiled, "just don't do anything reckless in front of her."

"Hai, hai," he grinned big and started entering the room.

Sakuno looked at her, "W-well what is it?"

Ahiru handed some papers to her, "Well mistress, Reinja-dono asked me to give this to you."

She accepted it. Her nervousness came back at her when she saw them. It was the outline of the ceremony. The first event was in the morning where she and Christopher were going to do the opening of the center and at night was the schedule and list of singers and band performance who were going to sing that night. And she was the front act singing two songs.

Ahiru was wondering on her reactions, "W-what's wrong mistress?"

"I am… scared, Ahiru-chan… about singing." She said as she gripped the papers really hard.

"You can do it; I know you can, mistress." Ahiru motivated her.

She looked outside and stared somewhere, "I hope so…"

* * *

**Next Morning at the recreation center:**

The ride is only an hour for them to reach the recreation center. The place was definitely big and could occupy thousands of customers there. Sumire, Tezuka and Ryoma were being escorted by Drosselmeyer that time. The man introduced himself to them and it seemed that they knew him from Sakuno's story from their reunion. Each playing area had private doors and rooms for practicing. The actual games had enough places and rooms for the people who were there to watch the game. The recreation had some several sports and work outs there and also for fitness program for the ladies. The last place that they went was the place where the event was going to held. From the center of the recreation, they saw a large green area suited enough for all kinds of sports. It was enormously big and an opened area which was electrically controlled from the rain if there was going to be one. They could see a large stage in front of them and at the top; they could see the large markings in capital letters that they also saw outside the center;

**BLOOMING RECREATION THE KITAZAWA'S INC.**

They stopped in the middle. At the stage, he saw her there… standing and singing beside the large white piano… with her voice tutor. He noticed that she had a nice voice but she was being interrupted from singing because of some wrong notes being recognized by her teacher. Then she bowed several times for those mistakes. The teacher started playing on the piano once again and she sang with the piano's tune. She was wearing her sports wear… Seigaku's tennis sports wear. He smirked secretly;

_She is still dedicated to our school. Yarujan._

His reverie was interrupted by the female Kitazawa approaching them. Drosselmeyer bowed and left them afterwards.

"Thank you for accepting our request, Sumire-obaa-san." Reina said looking at Sumire.

"No problem, Reina-san," She looked at Sakuno who was looking at them now, "I will get to see my granddaughter for a whole week because of this, I should be the one to thank you for this."

"Well, let's not waste more time, Sakuno practice for the aiming now. You can continue with your singing lessons later."

"H-hai!" She bowed to her teacher before running down to meet them. Not long ago, Chris arrived as well that made _someone _annoyed for his arrival. They left the three so that they could go to the training area.

* * *

**Later on:**

Ryoma was holding his racket but he placed it to his shoulder. He looked at Sakuno, "serve the ball to the wall and hit it at the same spot."

The two both reacted at the same time. Chris was the first to react, "Are you nuts? That's so hard to do."

Sakuno stepped forward with her racket in front of chest, "h-he's right Ryoma-kun, I-I can't do it."

Ryoma stared at them first before turning to the location at the large ball not far from them. He closed his eyes as he pointed the large ball with his racket, "You two are going to hit that large ball."

The both of them looked at the direction he pointed and then he continued;

"The ball has two buttons and you have to hit each of them at the same time," he faced the two after that, "I want you both to hit the same spot on the wall to avoid missing your target."

They seemed to understand what he had just said but Chris had yet to say something;

"But that is still impossible."

"Because you haven't tried it yet." He looked at him keeping his stoic reaction.

Chris just stared back at him. Sakuno was looking at them worriedly. She was about to say something when her fiancé spoke;

"heh, you keep telling us that, you can't even do that for all I know."

Sakuno reacted on her fiancé's words and face him, "C-chris-kun, y-you got it all wrong… h-he's the prince of tennis-"

She was stopped by the sound of the ball being hit. They both looked at the young tennis prodigy. He was hitting the ball on the wall… on the same spot for the several times… that made Chris agape. He caught the ball with his last hit and faced them and smirked;

"Do you have more questions?"

Chris looked away but he could see how pissed he was, "Show off."

Ryoma secretly rejoiced on his reaction. Sakuno just sweat dropped.

They continued practicing with Ryoma's ordering words much to Chris annoyance. But the blonde boy was still following his orders.

The training for the aiming and her singing lessons went smooth for the following days. By the end of the third day Sakuno was able to hit the same spot but not quite accurate so it wasn't polished well yet. He hated to admit but the blonde boy was a fast learner. He managed to aim for the same spot several times. He cheered Sakuno up that made the latter to boost her energy.

Ryoma was with the Coach and the Captain ready to leave for that day. His eyes were searching for a certain auburn pigtailed-girl and his eyes didn't fail him. She was at the corner of the stadium not far from them. But he didn't like what he was seeing. She was with him… with her fiancé. It seemed that the blonde boy was telling him something to her judging from her face. He flinched when the blonde leaned closer to her face… whispering something to her ear. If he was not looking between them he would thought that they were probably kissing. But to be closer like that… it pisses him… a lot.  
Much to his surprised; when the girl's reaction suddenly changed. It was not that clear but he could see that she became upset on what the Blondie had whispered to her. The girl looked down as she nodded slowly. Whatever the blonde boy said to her… it was not doing her any good.

"Ryoma, let's go." Sumire announced. She waved goodbye to Sakuno announcing that they would leave for the day.

* * *

**Fourth day:**

Sakuno just had her lessons for her voice fifteen minutes ago. She still didn't have the confidence for singing in front of the crowd. It was not her style to do so. She gripped her hands as she laid them on her lap. She was a bit surprised when the tennis prodigy sat beside her. She looked down and trying to get herself busy over something.

_Stay away from him unless it is about practice._

Great.

So much for that thought. Why did Christopher say those words to her? She was bothered by it. Her fiancé was telling him to avoid Ryoma at all cost. Since Ryoma wasn't to start any conversation she did it;

"U-uhmm, aren't you going to practice?" she asked him.

Ryoma who was staring from a distance responded, "_YOU_ are practicing remember?"

She flinched as she continued looking down, "I-I see… I-I forgot… sorry."

Silence was erupted between them. Sakuno couldn't take the deafening sound so she stood up.

"W-well I am going to practice my singing lessons now. Ja."

"Ryuzaki…"

She stopped from her location and looked at him.

"I will be there… you can do it." She saw him staring at her eyes as she nodded and continued walking ahead.

* * *

**Two days later:**

He was noticing it. The girl was avoiding him… for two days. For some reason… he knew who was responsible for making her from avoiding him. And he didn't like it. It was the end of their practice training and it seemed that Ryuzaki was able to hit for the right spot. They did it for the final practice and he could see how happy the girl was. The girl thanked him for several times but he only said it-was-nothing-Just-doing-my-job words to her. The Seigaku members went back to their school for the final announcement. The rest of the regulars were still there and Sumire told them that they were all invited for tomorrow's opening ceremony. As Ryoma expected, everyone couldn't stop thinking about it.

**xxx**

The sun was long gone but he was still there. At the school tennis courts… doing warm ups. When he got tired, he sat back on the bench and drank some ponta. He was about to grabbed another can on his bag when someone put a towel on his head covering both side of his face. He didn't have to look who put the towel on his head. There were only four people left at the club aside from the Coach.

"The last time I saw you like this was when your heart was confused about going to America for the US open or not." He recognized the tennis tensai's words who was standing near the bench that he was sitting, looking up ahead while drinking his water from the bottle.

Ryoma didn't look up but he responded, "This is not a game senpai. You can't compare this from the last time."

"Echizen," Oishi sat down beside him, "Be honest with yourself, you are right, this is not a game anymore. You are not facing an opponent inside a court and score a point that easily."

"Ryuzaki-chan likes you, Echizen. Compared to us, you are the only one who didn't know."

His eyes widened as he heard that from Fuji. Good thing that the towel was covering his face so they wouldn't know how shock he was. They knew that he reacted after all.

"I think it's about time that you should make a move." Oishi said who was also shocked on Fuji's words at first but thought that the tensai was right.

"What's your decision, Echizen?" Fuji asked him, "You have a rival to face this time and he was not just ordinary."

Ryoma just stared on the ground focusing on what to think. He gripped both of his hands and said, "Fuji-senpai… I… about her..."

Silence erupted after that. They seemed to know what their kouhai was about to say. But he decided to change it for the last minute.

"But she's avoiding me… because of _him._"

"Are you giving up?" Fuji asked him again.

Ryoma stared at him firmly, "That's not in my dictionary, senpai."

"Then you know what to do."

The three looked behind them to see the captain walking towards them.

"Echizen, don't let your guard down."

Ryoma stared at his captain's eyes as the latter was not finished talking yet;

"You became the Seigaku's Pillar of Support… and you still are," he said as he tapped his shoulder and continued, "It's about time that you should become _her_ pillar of support too."

Ryoma absorb everything the captain said. He pulled the towel from his head and smiled to his captain, "Hai, buchou," he looked at the tensai and to the mother hen… both smiling at him and nodded at the same time, "Arigatou, senpai-tachi."

He ended their conversation with a bow and a clear mind from his head.

* * *

**Opening Ceremony:**

"We have a problem," Reinja announced to them that morning. The ceremony was about to start in a minute, but the great man was having a headache as he was rubbing his temple, "Chris-san can't make it today. He had some urgent business to do."

Everyone was shocked on his announcement.

"What about the opening?" Sumire asked.

The noble man clasped his hands between him, "I've been thinking about it. The sponsors also said that Sakuno should have her performance last, she's special."

"B-but, m-my performance…"

"You can do it. Trust yourself, Sakuno." Reinja said holding her hand which was on the table.

She looked around her, the people nodded including him, "W-who will be my partner f-for the opening?" she asked her father.

Before he could answer, the man from the outside announced that the show was about to start. Reina approached the man and scolded him. After a series of bickering, Reina sighed, "Sakuno go to the flat form now… we will think of something."

Sakuno stood up panicky. She was about to say something when the lady retorted.

"What are you still doing there? Go to the flat form! Now!"

"H-hai!" she ran after that. Carrying her racket, she walked to the flat form. From there, she felt the very uncommon 'stage fright' as she was being stared by the people below her. They kept screaming, and shouting for her name. She hugged her racket. She was wearing a special sports wear that day. A white t-shirt with the tennis symbol on her upper right chest and a mini pink skirt and specialized with a medium ribbon from her back. She was wearing sneakers and bandannas on her forehead. She looked up at the large ball 50 meters above the ground. She could see her target from her position. She closed her eyes as her fear was absorbing her.

_H-how am I going to hit it alone? I-it's impossible._

She opened her eyes when she heard the crowd's different reaction and then a figure from the corner of her eyes took notice of her. She looked to her left to see Ryoma standing beside her.

"I guess I ended up being your partner after all." The boy said while his racket was on his left shoulder and his other hand was on his waist. He was looking at her for a while.

She blushed on his words. Her heart was beating so fast but she didn't know the reason whether if it was her fear or because the boy was standing beside her.

She looked backstage. They saw her parents, Tezuka and her grandmother. Her parents both nodded and she knew what was going on.

Ryoma positioned himself and aimed for the target, "Let's get started, Ryuzaki."

She flinched, "H-hai!" she held the ball hard. She could feel that she was trembling. Ryoma noticed her and said;

"Don't worry, I'm with you."

She looked at him when he said those words. The boy was still looking at the target. She did the same as she felt the determination came back to her.

They both positioned themselves for the aiming. Ryoma on the left while she was on the right side of the flat form. They dribbled the ball, tossed it upward, and hit it at the same time. Two tennis balls were sent upward to the direction of the large ball, hit the targets at the same time. The ball was divided into two and lot's of confetti were being released and spread all through the stadium. A white large tarpaulin appeared from the ball saying 'WELCOME FROM THE SPORTS WORLD OF KITAZAWA' greetings. The ceremony was followed by the crowd's screaming voice, cheers and applauses from the both of them and the greetings.

Sakuno was shocked. She succeeded on making the opening. She looked at Ryoma with joy.

"I knew you could do it." He commented.

She smiled, "T-thank you very much, Ryoma-kun." she bowed in front of him.

They stayed there for a while as the crowd was looking at them. Ryoma stared at her while the girl was waving at the crowd below them. He could see how happy the girl was. He looked at the crowd next. Some of the people there knew him as a tennis prodigy. He sighed. He knew that it would become big news tomorrow.

_Become her pillar of support._

He could still remember his captain's words. When Tezuka first asked him to become one… he was having doubts because of the fear of not meeting the latter's expectation's from him and it took a while for him to had accepted it.

But today… the case was different.

He looked at her seriously as the girl was busy welcoming the crowd… the girl was looking at him sometimes and the smiled afterwards. He made his decision right away.

_I will definitely BE of your support._

* * *

**Done… ummm not… actually this was not supposed to happen. This is not how I supposed to end this chapter. Sakuno's live performance was not here yet. The event supposed to be finished in this chapter but my thoughts keep thinking new scenes… and I ended up adding them automatically. Sigh… Oh well… How was this one? Did you like this?**

**I got the idea of Ryoma and Sakuno's position for aiming when Ryoma and Momoshiro aimed for the rude coach of Higa Middle School where he used on-court violence against Seigaku during the Nationals. I so love their combination there.**

**I had a bad day... because of the grammar words that I used well not here... 'cause I am aware about my grammar mistakes being made here... sorry about that... I mean at work... aahhh... I shouldn't have told him... I felt bad about it... I need a break... waahhhh...**

**My bad day subsided a little when I watched K today... Tee hee hee... Isana was definitely hiding something... He's more than meets the eye... I so love the latest episode... love love festival... ^_^**

**Reviews please… I beg you… Onegaishimasu! If you are new and been reading my story from the start… you can leave a review even just this point… thank you… ^_^**

**Next Chapter: Snowdrop **


	16. Snowdrop

**Hi! This is the continuation of the part where Sakuno's performance would take place… I hope you will like this chapter like the other one… ^_^**

**Guest 11/16/12 - I am glad that you felt that way but you are right that's not the end yet. Thank you for the wonderful words... I hope you like this one as well... ^_^**

**Music4Life1791 – Hi there again… it's me… thank you for the other set of reviews… tee hee hee… and as for the reply… you can see them below as well… ^_^**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own POT… Konomi Takeshi-sensei has all the rights.**

* * *

**Chapter 16: Snowdrop**

**Chapter Summary: She thought of following her fiancé's words but **_**he**_** wouldn't let her. She made a decision that night despite of the consequences that would confused her.**

* * *

'_Hot and Cold, Light and Dark, Good and Bad will never agree to each other.'_

_~MitsukiJunko_

* * *

"Ryuzaki-chan!" Oishi ran to them when they walked down from the flat form. The vice-captain was being followed by the other regulars. They were reserved special seats for each of them and they were the only ones who could reach the girl.

"That was a great performance nya~" Eiji said grabbing Ryoma from the back while looking at her.

Sakuno looked around her and she could hear more praises from them. She blushed hard as she looked down, "U-uhmmm, I-I s-senpai," to everyone's surprised, the auburn pigtailed girl bowed in front of them, "Gomenasai!… F-for not cheering you up on your last tournament."

They froze from their position; even Ryoma couldn't retaliate for a while. Sakuno was still bending her half body while her eyes were closed. Momo was the first one to recover;

"Hey! It's okay… Even though you were not with us… I know that you were supporting us from your location."

"Yeah! Thank you for the cheer, Ryuzaki-chii." Eiji grinned wide; he was not holding the young tennis prodigy anymore.

Tezuka approached the group and tapped her shoulder. The girl looked up to the tennis captain who nodded to her.

Everyone did the same. She smiled because of their reactions. Later on, Kawamura shouted with his racket on;

"BURNING! LET'S CELEBRATE FOR TWO VICTORIES!"

"YOSH!"

"Baka, Ryuzaki has to perform yet… the event is not over." Ryoma bluntly said.

Sakuno felt nervous when Ryoma reminded everyone about that. He was right. She needed to perform later; she needed to sing for the first time in front of everyone. Her worries were slowly coming back at her once again.

"Shinpai nai, Ryuzaki-chan, we are here to support you," Oishi said holding her hands that made her blush, "if you are getting nervous just look at us and we will give you a boost."

She stared at him for a while before smiling, "A-rigatou… Oishi-senpai… Thank you for understanding me."

The vice-captain nodded and smiled back at her.

Inui on the other hand didn't let pass a sight when Ryoma secretly glared at the hand of the mother hen that was holding the auburn pigtailed girls'. He fixed his glasses as he said his own catchphrase;

"Ii data."

Momo and Eiji saw him too and ended up giggling with each other. Kaidoh was just standing not far from them listening to their conversation.

"Sakuno-onee-chan!"

Everyone looked to the last person who spoke. Capella who was wearing a white long gown that looked like priests clothes running towards them. He was followed by Fakir and a maid with an orange single braided hair girl. Capella hugged her knees when she approached her;

"You did great! You two were pretty amazing," Capella said, "Ponta-onii-chan was really great!"

Ryoma eyed the little boy. He just couldn't get enough with his 'nickname' the boy was calling him. Everyone chuckled when they heard his alias.

"Mistress, you should go to your seat now for the next event. Everyone is expecting for your appearance." Fakir announced to her.

"O-oh," she only reacted. _Do I need to show myself in front of them?_ She thought, "W-where is my seat… F-fakir-kun?"

The blue-eyed girl answered for him, "Let me take you there, mistress."

Before they could walk further, Eiji had been staring at the girl that they just met and then a name suddenly popped into his mind;

"Ahh!" he reacted making everyone looked at the acrobatic player, "Y-you're a maid. T-that means…. Ryuzaki-chan's… Ahiru-chan! You are Ryuzaki-chan's personal maid. Your name's Ahiru-chan!"

Ahiru panicked on his words. The boy was pointing his finger at her, "I—I uhmmm… H-hai! T-that was me."

"Eiji!" Oishi shouted at his doubles partner, "You are being rude at her."

Eiji just scratched his head as he stuck his tongue out, "G-gomen nee."

Sakuno laughed as she recovered from the slight shocked, "I-I'm sorry for the delayed introduction, Minna, t-this is my personal maid," she looked at her before continuing making her surprise, "and friend… Ahiru, Arima Ahiru."

Ahiru was surprised on how she was being introduced to them. She blushed as she clumsily bowed down in front of them, "M-my name's Ahiru… Yorushiku minna-san."

Everyone smiled at her except Tezuka and Kaidoh. Ryoma smirked instead. They found the girl so amusing.

Sakuno grabbed Capella's hand and gestured the boy to lead her seat leaving her assistant bodyguard and her maid behind, "I'll have Capella-kun to lead me. You guys enjoy yourselves."

"B-but mistress-" Ahiru tried to catch up to her but Eiji blocked her way. Sakuno and Capella continued walking to her seat.

"Ne, Ahiru-chan. Don't worry, Ryuzaki-chii asked us to take care of you." the acrobatic player said holding both of her hands.

She blushed really hard, "U-uhmm… I'm all pleased…"

Momo, Oishi and Kawamura looked at the blushing girl and then looked at each other.

"She looks like… Ryuzaki-chan…" Oishi said looking at Kawamura.

"No doubt about it." Kawamura nodded.

"She's the version of our Ryuzaki-chan." Momo said as he examined her.

"Hey, it's alright ~nya." Eiji patted her head, "You are cute in your own way."

Someone feint a cough that made everyone look at that direction. Fuji and Inui noticed Sakuno's assistant bodyguard's reaction. The tensai and the data analysis looked at each other.

"He could be _his _version." Fuji said as he shifted his look to a certain young tennis prodigy.

"You are right." Inui said who started writing some information in his _diary._

Oishi approached the average man, "Fakir-san, right? Thank you for taking care of Ryuzaki-chan for us."

Fakir bowed in front of him, "It is my duty to do that sire."

The mother hen flailed his hands and said, "No! Please no formality. We are friends here and I know that Ryuzaki-chan wants the same too. Don't be too formal."

Fakir nodded on his actions and words, "t-thank you… O-oishi-san."

He smiled on him. Oishi entertained him to everyone. Fakir had sharp memories so he could remember them all. Fakir who had a slight attitude like their youngest regular member opened up to them. They both had similarities in some ways. Like how Eiji held Ahiru's hands and the average man would glare at them.

"Fakir! Ahiru! What are you two doing there?"

Everyone looked at the person who spoke last. The person was a bit old and had long beard mostly like of Santa's. The person was angry to see them there. Fakir faced him and said his alibi.

"Pardon me sire but the mistress asked us to entertain her guests." Fakir bowed to give him respect.

The latter retorted, "Just because the mistress said that, you will leave her in the crowd."

"Capella's with her, sire."

"That's what I am worried about. What if that stupid boy took her somewhere else? Now go back to you work."

"Hai, right away sire." He said and then looked at them, "Arima, you leave here and take care of our mistress' friends."

Ahiru alerted, "H-hai." She watched the boy run.

"Who was that, Ahiru-chan" Eiji asked her.

"He's her bodyguard, Drosselmeyer."

"T-that guy? He's creepy."

"Eiji, lower your voice, he might hear you." Oishi warned his partner.

They looked at Sakuno's bodyguard ordering other subordinates to avoid from slacking off. They didn't like his aura for some reason. Unknown to the others, Fuji remembered the guy. Like the first time he met him, the aura was still on him giving creep to his body. Ahiru stayed with them until later.

**xxx**

The event went smoothly as the time passed by. The only thing Sakuno knew, it was already night time. She looked at such a distance as she approached a railing at the corner of the stadium. Her worries became deeper and deeper. Occasionally, she met with her parents to keep reminding her about the performance. Her parents had high hopes and expectations for her. She sighed big thinking that it would ease her worries.

"You will do well."

She looked behind her to see amber-eyes staring at her, "R-ryoma-kun."

The boy walked towards her and looked at the direction she was looking before, "Believe in yourself."

She looked down. The boy was paying attention to her lately. She should be happy about it but something was pulling her not to be one.

Christopher's words.

Her fiancé didn't like him since the first day he met the boy.

_He is a bad influence for you, stay away from him. _

She could remember his words this morning when he received a call from him telling her to distance herself from the boy. When she didn't reply, she heard the boy sigh and walked away from her afterwards.

"That's all I can say… good luck later."

"A-ah-" she tried to reach for him but she didn't call for his name. She watched the boy leave her there. _Ryoma-kun gomen ne, I-I don't have the guts to disobey Chris-kun. I feel that he would do something bad to me if I don't follow him so- _she didn't continue her thoughts when the boy stopped from walking and looked at his shoulder.

"I don't know what that blondie said to you but I want you to know that I will still believe whatever you decide."

Her eyes widened. She was really sure that he was paying a _lot_ of attention to her now. She was frozen there and didn't do anything as the boy continued walking.

"I'll see you perform tonight, I'll cheer for you this time."

She walked a step forward, "T-thank you… R-ryoma-kun."

The boy just waved his right hand. She didn't say anything after that. The boy wasn't there anymore but she was still staring at that direction for a while before staring back at the view outside the stadium. She gathered some air to her lungs to calm herself.

"Maybe he is right. I should do things that I like or I might regret not doing them in the end." She said to herself finally making a decision that night.

**xxx**

She was to perform last that night as the schedule changed. The event had started already and various bands and performance were implemented smoothly. She was at the backstage the whole night with Ahiru and Lala at her side.

"H-how is everyone, Ahiru-chan?"

"They're fine, mistress. Don't worry." The maid replied to her while combing her hair down. Her long hair was loosen and styled by fancy Lala with curls earlier. She was wearing an exposed shoulder red gown. The gown was fine for her as she was able to walk without hassle or lifting the side of her dress. The stylist even put some light make up and jewelries to her.

"There, you look like a doll right now." Lala said to her.

She didn't reply to her comment. She was actually worried about the performance so she wasn't aware about their words. She flinched when the stylist touched her hands on her lap.

"Hey, it's alright. You practiced hard on this. Everything will be fine."

"S-she's right mistress. We will cheer for you."

She looked at them and smiled afterwards, "T-thank you Lala-san, Ahiru-chan."

They both smiled back at her.

The event went on. The regulars seemed to enjoy themselves especially to the comedian that performed earlier. The night was getting darker but the heat wasn't dying until later. Everyone looked in front of the stage as the Emcee talked over the microphone;

"Ladies and Gentlemen, the night's special participation that we anticipated all day, the Kitazawa's precious pearl singing Haru no Ao… Miss Sakuno Kitazawa!"

Everyone applauded and awed in surprised as Sakuno walked on the stage with the red dress. Her eyes were closed as she tried to remember not to trip herself there. She could hear the crowd's words but they were incomprehensible enough to understand.

Thus, the music started to play. She opened her eyes only to be regretted doing that. Her eyes widened and her lips were a bit opened. Her breath was rapidly catching for air as she looked at them. Her fear was evading her.

She was having her stage fright right now. Her cue for singing was started long ago but she couldn't find her voice. She looked around to see a certain someone but _he_ was not with them to her dismay.

"What happened?"

"Why wouldn't she sing?"

"She caught her tongue."

She could see their different reactions. Some were annoyed and some were wondering. She was stiffened there and trembling a lot. She held the mike tightly.

"Sakuno, what's happening to you?" Reina called her through the transmitter, "Sing now!"

She closed her eyes and whispered, "I-I can't…"

"Stupid, don't be such a coward! You're a Kitazawa…"

She couldn't hear her mother's words anymore. She wanted to cry there. She was left in that big stage just her… alone in that big area. Unlike in the aiming event, Ryoma was at her side. But now she was alone there… with no one else.

"_You can do it."_

She opened her eyes abruptly. It was a whispered voice but miraculously she was able to hear it in front of the noisy crowd. She searched for that voice and found it. _He _was standing at a distance away from the crowd. His hat was covering his face but she knew it was him_. _She confirmed it when the boy looked at her while adjusting his hat. Their eyes met and stared for a while. The boy nodded slowly reassuring that he would watch her until the end. She calmed herself and made a face of being prepared.

His appearance was definitely affecting her a lot.

She looked at the emcee and apologized. She nodded and giving that she would sing. She faced the crowd once again, "I-I'm sorry, let me try once again."

And then the music was started playing once again. She closed her eyes as she thought of something;

_You are wrong Chris-kun… Ryoma-kun isn't a bad influence for me. He is always there to build my courage to its highest peak. I should thank him for doing that._

Her cue came and she started to sing while looking at him;

'_Sakura saku hi ni omoi no hane wo todokete negai wo sora ni hanatsu__  
__Uta yo todoite shouri no hana wo sakasete itsu made mo inotteru__'_

She gave her feelings into that song as she looked around the crowd. It seems that the crowd liked her singing. Others started closing their eyes and they feel her music. Some of them were waving and swinging their lights in their hands as the music was making its way.

_I'll make my own decision as he said. I simply can not allow him to control me. We are not a couple in the first place anyway. _She thought between her performances.

Ryoma on the other hand, was watching the girl sang. He decided to separate himself from his senpais to have a clear view. The regulars were upfront but having sharp and clear eyes making him to see the girl singing on the stage was clear enough for his feline eyes. He was not bored staring at the girl in red dress. In fact, he found her amusing… and cute.

He was not going to deny it anymore. He pinned his hat down to hide his smile.

Minutes later and she was singing her second song. The first one was successful and she received the longer applause that night. She was not finished with her second song but she could hear applauses coming from the crowd.

'_owaranai yoru ni negai wa hitotsu  
"hoshi no nai sora ni kagayaku hikari o"  
modorenai basho ni suteta mono de sae  
umarekawatte ashita o kitto terasu  
hoshikuzu no naka de anata ni deaeta  
itsuka no kimochi no mama aetara yokatta_

_modoranai kako ni naita koto de sae  
umarekawatte ashita o kitto terashite kureru'_

She closed her eyes and she finished her song. She bowed the moment the music stopped playing, "Domo arigatou guzaimasu, minna-san!"

The crowd shouted, applauded, wishing for an encore and screaming for her name. She almost cried because of that. They liked her performance. She waved as she started to walk away from the stage. She couldn't sing another one for she only practiced two songs for the whole week. When she was behind curtain, she leaned on the wall and closed her eyes. She clasped both of her hands with the microphone right just in front of her chest.

_It's all thanks to him. _She smiled while thinking about the young tennis prodigy.

**xxx**

She was the last to perform so the people from the area were starting to leave the place. Ryoma joined his senpais once again.

"Where did you go, Echizen?" Momo asked him.

Ryoma shrugged his shoulder instead of answering his senpai. Inui took out his notebook and began writing something there;

"I say that it's 95 percent that he was on the nice spot to view Ryuzaki-chan singing and 5 percent hiding himself from her."

Everyone awed on Inui's calculations. Ryoma just pinned his hat down. Damn data analysis, he was right. Why did all of his calculations were so estimated?

"We need to go now guys, I already told Reina-san and Reinja-kun that we would leave as soon as the concert finished." Sumire announced to everyone.

"But what about Ryuzaki-chii?" Eiji asked.

"Sakuno knew that already," Sumire looked at her granddaughter's location. She was talking to Fakir for a while before asking her to follow him, "Well, if you like to say goodbye, I can wait outside."

Everyone was thinking the same thing and Eiji voiced it out to the coach;

"The only person who wants to do that is this one." he said pushing Ryoma away from them.

Ryoma became irritated because of that, "Senpai, what was that for?"

"Stop pretending and see her already. Tell her in behalf of us that we will take our leave." Eiji said gesturing to the other regulars, "Good luck Ochibi! Let's go guys."

He stretched his hand to them but he could only hear chuckles and giggles from them. Even Tezuka smirked a little. He couldn't believe that even their captain would react like that.

"Annoying senpais." He whispered as he walked opposite to their direction. He walked the path that Sakuno went to.

And he saw her… together with her parents. He was about to show himself to them when the woman did something.

**SLAP!**

He stopped. The sound was echoing around the stadium. Sakuno was being slapped… by her mother. He could see how shocked the girl was. Her mother was furious and the man was trying to calm his wife.

"You deliberately disobeyed me!"

Sakuno looked at her touching the cheek that Reina slapped, "I-I mom-"

"You embarrassed me Sakuno, you disappointed me!" she almost shouted to her, "I kept telling you that you should bring our family honor but you failed. How could you slack at the beginning of your performance? You practice hard for that? How could you fail?"

She looked down. She couldn't stare at her. She wanted to cry, the slap was painful, "I-I'm sorry…"

"Sorry? That's all you could say? You should think things over."

"Dear, calm down. It was her first time doing something like that. It's pretty normal for her to get nervous." Reinja tried to comfort her.

"We shouldn't spoil her like that. Remember that you are a Kitazawa now. Be one Sakuno not act like one," Reina warned her, "This shouldn't be repeated in the future."

Sakuno who was shocked slowly nodded, "H-hai."

Reina stared at her before leaving the place, "I don't want to see you for a while. Go home with Fakir later."

Reinja tapped her shoulder, "Understand your mother, Sakuno she was just shocked about your first performance," When she nodded at him, he continued, "Well, follow us later okay. We will go ahead."

She was left behind after that. She couldn't register anything that happened today. She thought that she did great. The performance was well but her mother wanted it a perfect one. She couldn't feel her cheek. No one slapped her before; even her real mother had never done that. It was new to her and she couldn't retaliate everything from her mother.

She walked back to the stage. The stage was pretty big. It felt like hollow right now. There was a piano resting at the corner. She approached it and started touching the keys.

"I didn't know that you could play as well."

She gasped when she heard _his _voice. She didn't look away from the piano, "Y-you know the difference from playing to touching. I-I am only touching them."

She could hear him walking closer to her, "W-what are you still doing here? T-the performance was long over now."

He stopped to her side and began _touching _the keys of the piano as well, "Stupid senpais told me to remind you that we would take our leave now."

She nodded, "I-I see… b-be careful then."

"Un."

They remained silent there for a while. Sakuno noticed that Ryoma had no intention of leaving that place so she faced the boy, "W-why aren't you leaving yet? D-do you have something else to tell me?"

Ryoma stared at her too and said, "I can't leave yet… if a girl cries in front of me."

Her eyes widened. Then she felt a tear fell off from her face. She touched her cheek. She was crying and she didn't know that. Since when did she cry? It was so stupid of her… crying in front of him. She smiled painfully at him, "I-I am sorry, Ryoma-kun. I-I don't know what is happening to me. T-they just fell down."

Her eyes were closed so she didn't know what the boy's reaction was. Her tears couldn't stop falling from her cheek. She tried to wipe them with her hands but they just kept on falling. She became aware when the boy touched the back of her head and his other hand was on her waist. She opened her eyes wide when Ryoma pulled her closer to him and gave her a comforting embrace. The hand that was on her head was now resting around her shoulder.

"Everything will be fine," He whispered to her ear, "Trust me."

She was shocked as she couldn't move her hands that he cornered between them. The boy was hugging her for long that she didn't expect. She closed her eyes as she started to believe him. She trusted him since the first time they met and that's not going to change. She nodded as confirmation. She felt that the boy distanced his head to her but he leaned his forehead to hers.

"I will protect you from now on." She felt two hands were being touched from her cheek. She snapped her eyes open. She knew what the boy was going to do next as he was leaning closer to her. Before he could do 'that' she took the courage to push herself away.

Two pairs of eyes became widened due to their own reactions. Sakuno began to walk away… slowly from him, "I-I should go."

She started to run without waiting for his reply. Her heart was beating so fast. Ryoma followed her with his eyes. The girl ran in front just below the stage. The girl stopped running just in front of his location as she noticed something. Ryoma noticed it too.

Sakuno caught a snowflake to her palm, "It's the… first snow of the year…" she looked above her and watched the series of snow falling down her face. Amazingly, her tears stopped falling.

Ryoma stared at her from that location. From his view, she looked different. The color of her dress that was contrasting from the color of the white background felt warmer from his eyes. She looked good with the falling snowflakes around her. She looked innocent and… something nice to him.

"Ryuzaki."

She shifted her eyes at him. She was blushing when she saw the boy's look in his eyes. Ryoma had this stare that she couldn't look for a longer period of time. But the stare he was giving her was different… it's more calm and warmer. The boy didn't say anything after that. He was just staring at her. She stared back at him only to find more information in his eyes.

…Fondness.

She blushed more because of the realization. She looked away as she gestured herself to walk away, "T-thank you for today… I-I'll see you soon."

She started to run once again leaving him there. He watched her leave. He was thinking things really hard as new realization inside him had woken up. He closed his eyes as he inserted his hands to his pocket. He looked up too when he opened his eyes once again saying his next words naturally;

"Soon... we will be."

* * *

**Done! This was long too… Sigh… I know hat you are itching for their kiss but I am sorry it is not time yet. I promise I will do that to them… just give me time to have their so almost perfect kiss. I will just surprise you. I hope I will. Don't hate me for leaving you in the middle… I promise… Even the suspense is killing me as well. Waahhh Don't kill me… yet…!**

**So how was this chapter? I hope you like it. If you do… please leave a message on the review page… Onegaishimasu…**

**Just thinking:**

**Do you think that Sakuno suits for wearing Lolita dress? Since she's rich and probably a caged princess or something? I need your thoughts about this… thanks…**

**Terminology:**

**Shinpai nai – Don't worry.**

**Yorushiku minna-san – Nice to meet you, everyone.**

**Haru no Ao – Mikako Takahashi. Ryuzaki Sakuno's character song.**

**Rokutosei no Yoru – No. 6 ending song by Aimer. **

**Domo Arigatou Guzaimasu, Minna-san – Thank you very much, everyone.**

**I do not own the songs that I used here. They were all highly respected and belonged to the singers.**

**_NEXT CHAPTER: Permission to be Away_**

* * *

**Music4Life1791:**

**Welcome back once again…**

**Chapter 4: you're very welcome and nice to see you again… thank you very much… I really appreciate it… and don't worry… you just don't know how excited I was when I read your reviews to my fics… and thank you that you love reading my stories… **

**And you are right… I focused on her positive traits there… thanks a lot… ^_^**

**Chapter 5: I am glad that you like Fuji as well… he's is truly a genius… thank you I don't know what to say anymore… and yeah… I'll try my best to fix my grammar… and it's okay you aren't… really… ^_^**

**Chapter 6: tee hee hee… I am glad…**

**Chapter 7: yap they did… ^_^**

**Chapter 8: tee hee hee… same here too… I guess…**

**Chapter 9: yeah… that's definitely stupid for him… ^_^**

**Chapter 10: kind of… and thank you very much… ^_^**

**Chapter 11: tee hee hee… but I think they have three indirect kisses there… one was for the spoon that they both used there, two was for the ponta and the last was what you thought strange… well if you count the first one then that makes three… it's kinda strange yep… But Capella blurted out **_**his**_** thought… ^_^**

**Chapter 12: I want it to be different … I hope I could make it… the ending you want? I am hoping that some readers would like the possible ending of my story… I really hope-desperately though… but don't worry I have better plans for the ending… but the ending is kinda far… ;P**

**Chapter 13: tee hee hee don't worry… Sakuno will never stay weak in the story… She just can't fight back for a while because of her new background… Just wait for that but for now bare for her tear-jerking scenes… (If I were Ryoma I would be irritated too… ;P)**

**Chapter 14: tee hee hee yeah… you are right… He came to his senses… and don't be…I actually like Katty's wide awake… ^_^**

**Chapter 15: I really appreciate your time reading and reviewing my story… Thank you a very million to you and for keeping your promise as well…. And I hope you liked this chapter… I mean the way Ryoma looked at her there with the snow that started falling… and so on… well…**

**I will never stop as long there are words to motivate me despite some rush and deadlines… tee hee hee… thank you once again… See you soon… ^_^**

**Musical One-Shot Compilations:**

**Chapter 1: Yeah… did I surprise you? I wrote something which was not my usual writing? I tried it though and they found it nice… and more mushy? But anyway… I am thinking of writing another fic like that but I don't know when… I want to do that for a change… sometimes…**

**Chapter 2: Tee hee hee… it really is… I think…**

**Chapter 3: Tee hee hee... yeah... I guess she does need that. Don't worry maybe in my other fan fics she will...**

**chapter 4: thank you very much... I will definitely write... I will write fics for a change too... and for a another story... I need to finish one of my ongoing ones before starting a new one... tee hee hee... I'll write a fic where Sakuno would fight for her rights I mean after being bullied... ;P**

**there you go... I hope I didn't miss a chapter to reply... tell me If I did... once again thank you very much for the words and motivation... and I'll do my best to write better chapters and as possible as I can... I try to look and watch for my grammar... tee hee hee...**


	17. Permission to be Away

**Hi There! Me back again…**** Thank you for the feedback. I am so pleased to receive such words from you guys… and bearing me with all this time… I hope that you will enjoy this chapter too.**

**Megingjoro - Hi... yeah... I watch K. It's good I can say... It's not partly shounen ai. You will think that it is because of Isana and Kuro's first encounter. But it's not entirely like that. There's a lot of action and comedy in the story. And you are right, the looks are great. I think you should watch until the second episode and then you will decide whether you will continue to watch or not.**

**Music4Life1791 (Mayu-chan) - thanks a lot... aww... you will go again... and you just came back... anyway I admire your dedication so good luck. I'll see you soon with more chapters to come. **

**I can say it's not time yet. I have a suitable plan for their kiss... I'm just making my way for that scene. Yeah, Ryoma will be the protective type in this story... although the stoic attitude and reaction will stay with him. That's him anyway... Thank you very much... and belated happy thanksgiving... I hope you still have a turkey left or a pumpkin pie out there... tee hee hee... ;P **

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Prince of Tennis. That is crystal clear.**

* * *

**Chapter 17: Permission to Be Away.**

**Chapter Summary: Everyone was going away and she didn't know what to decide. She wanted to stay with them and possible… with him. But the chaos was ahead of her.**

* * *

She continued to run… away from the stage… away from him. Her heart was beating so fast that night. Her face was red and she felt warm. The first snow of the year wasn't any of help to her but she appreciated it. She witnessed the first drop of the snow with him and that made it so memorable for her. They were pretty serious and he was giving her that look. And then she remembered what happened earlier.

He tried to kiss her.

She didn't know why but she backed off. She didn't let him even though she was _dreaming_ like that... with him. She knew that it wasn't right. She had a fiancé for goodness sake. Wouldn't she be cheating on Chris like that? Wait… they were not a couple so why would she be cheating on him. They weren't officially engaged to those people who knew them. It was only for public image. But it wasn't right still. Everyone knew she had a fiancé even though it was not real. And didn't her mother tell her not to bring disgrace to the family? And she was about to make one again.

She disappointed her.

She didn't know what to do. She should follow her mother's words or everything would be in chaos. But her heart was breaking apart. She couldn't solve everything as they were coming at the same time. Seconds later, she saw Fakir near the limousine. She wiped her tears quickly before Fakir could notice that she cried. But the teenage boy had sharp eyes.

"Sakuno-sama? Did something happen?" He bowed in front of her.

She stared at him for a while but she didn't say anything. She shook her head instead. Fakir remained silent first before deciding the words to say;

"I saw him going to your place… and kinda knew what happened back there."

She reacted on his words. She was blushing when she looked away, "Please… take me home now."

He bowed once again and opened the door for her, "Pardon me, mistress." Sakuno went inside and sat comfortably. When he thought that the girl was ready to leave, he closed the door. He was about to walk to get on to the passenger seat when the girl opened the door and called him;

"F-fakir-kun, m-matte."

He looked at her and walked back, "What is it, Mistress?" he flinched when the girl reached for his hand and talked;

"Can you… can you sit here with me tonight… p-please?..."

"B-but Mistress…" he was surprised on Sakuno's request. He noticed that she was trembling as she looked at him. He hesitated to accept because it was not him to decide like that.

"For goodness sake, just accept her request Fakir, it's the mistress who was asking you!" Drosselmeye who was at the driver's seat heard the girl's request and got irritated, "Now get inside and don't let her wait!"

Fakir became alerted, "h-hai… I'm sorry mistress." He went inside and sat across her seat.

**xxx**

The car was travelling for long but they remained silent. Fakir respected her silence. It seemed that the girl was trying to act tough in front of him. Sakuno was fidgeting with her fingers on her lap and staring at them for a while.

"R-ryoma-kun is… acting different."

He listened to her thoughts. He knew that she was having a hard time.

"H-he… was not like that… e-especially to me. h-he never thought of anything else aside tennis. Everything that he's done until now was all new to me. A-and today… today h-he… he…" she couldn't say her next words. So she ended up biting her lower lip before continuing, "T-this isn't right. Everything is complicated."

She started to cry in front of him. He wanted to help the girl… but how? He knew that the girl was kind and a down to earth person the first time he laid eyes on her. She was really nice to everyone even to the people who showed irritation to her. That's why Capella ended up loving her. When the girl didn't show any sign of stopping, he held her hands on her lap that made her flinch;

"Sakuno-sama… please don't cry. Your feelings are important to Ryoma-san. I don't know your story but it seems that you went through a lot just to get to this point," Fakir said to her, "I can feel that he is a good guy… judging from the way you look at him."

She stared at him for a while. It was the first time Fakir said something as long as that, and first time she saw him with that look.

The boy was worried about her.

Fakir was known to be a stoic and non emotional character but it seemed that the boy was slowly changing because of her. He realized that he was holding her hands for long. He flinched a little, "P-pardon for my rudeness-"

He was about to release his hand to hers when the girl suddenly caught his hand with her hands and held it tightly. He was shocked on her actions. The girl was still trembling as she hopelessly looked down.

She closed her eyes as her tears continued to fall, "I-it's always him Fakir-kun… b-but things are not the same anymore. I-I have a fiancé now. I can't control things unlike before. N-no matter how strong my feelings for him… I just can't simply return them."

"Mistress…" He stared at her. She liked him… a lot. He could notice how transparent she was. It was not late for her and he thought of helping the girl. He reached his other hand to her making her look at him, "Things are not the way before but you can do better things."

She looked at him but she never said a word so he continued;

"You said it yourself that you are not a real couple so if you think that Ryoma-san is different from before then its okay. Accept it Miss, let him express himself to you… slowly."

"Fakir-kun… "

"I am willing to help you at all cost… even it cost me my life."

She closed her eyes as she was about to calm herself, "I-I'll accept your help but please don't say about sacrificing your life to me, "she smiled as she said her next words, "or Ahiru-chan will be sad."

Fakir wore a faint shade of pink on his face as he looked away, "t-that's got nothing to do with it."

She released her hands to him and smiled naturally. She was able to stop crying now, "thank you… Fakir-kun."

**xxx**

Fakir escorted her to her room. She also discovered that Capella went home with Ahiru as soon as the event ended. It was late and she felt tired. She thanked her bodyguard for everything. She looked for her own clothes to wear that night. She had never done that for a while because Ahiru was always the one to dress her. She felt being a Ryuzaki doing those simple things again. She wanted to cry but she held it. She cried a lot that day and it was time to give herself a break. She went out of her changing room just to be shocked.

Her mother was there, sitting on her bed.

"I can see that you change by yourself tonight. Ahiru should be doing that." Reina said not looking at her instead touching the silkiness of her bed.

She looked down as she clasped her hands, "G-gomen… s-she was tired… I-I didn't call her tonight."

Reina sighed, "I don't want to argue with you anymore," she stood up and walked closer to her, "Sakuno dear, I want to talk to you," She held her plaits and caressed them, "I wouldn't be able to sleep tonight without solving this with you."

She was able to stare at her, "b-but you said… that-"

Sakuno was surprised when the fine lady suddenly hugged her tightly, "I know what I said and I know that it was wrong. I am sorry, Sakuno. I bet that Sumire-obaa-san never hit you on the face. I am terribly sorry."

"M-mom." She whispered near her ears.

Reina closed her eyes, "When you agreed to become my daughter… I felt happy. Finally, I can call someone as my daughter. Thank you for being one."

Sakuno hugged her back, "I-I am happy to become your daughter, m-mother. You made me realize how wonderful to have a parent in you. I-I missed my biological parents but you made them alive in my heart." She broke down as her tears fell down once again.

Reina felt crying as well, "Sakuno… I won't force to do things that you think that you can not do. Just tell me what it is that you really want, okay."

Sakuno nodded as confirmation. Reina stayed there for a while before deciding to call it off. Reina left her with fondness in her eyes. At first, the fine lady was kinda strict and business minded but when Sakuno got to know her these few months… the lady had a soft side of her. She was very kind and sweet.

**xxx**

She went to her bed as everything went fine in the end. Reina didn't let the day passed without reconciliation. She was about to lay down when her phone rang. She grabbed it just to be shocked once again. Ryoma was calling her. She thought of answering the call with her trembling hand.

"Ummm… h-hello…"

"I knew that you are still awake." Ryoma said from the other line.

"I-I was about to… though." She was blushing that moment. She couldn't forget the attempted kiss he was about to do earlier.

"un."

Silence was erupted once again.

Sakuno was wondering why the boy called at such time. Was he going to apologize? …On what he did? She wanted to know after all, "Umm, w-why did you call… R-ryoma-kun?"

"About earlier…"

She knew it. The boy was going to…

"I won't say sorry for that."

"E-eh?!" it was a shocked for her. Was it intentional? The boy was really trying to kiss her.

"Ryuzaki, you know… I-"

"I-it's okay…" she butted in. She was blushing all the time and she couldn't absorb another thing anymore, "I-I am really glad that you are paying attention to me now," her expression changed as she said her next words, "Although I am hoping that it isn't because my status has changed."

Silence surfaced once again.

"Ryuzaki."

"H-hai."

"You're always remain a Ryuzaki to me. Remember that."

She was overwhelmed when she heard his comment. Her heart beats a bit faster, "Arigatou… Ryoma-kun. I-I am really happy to have heard that."

"Un."

"I-I need to go. Ryoma-kun… I-I'll talk to you some other time, ne?"

"Are you all right?"

"eh?"

"…"

Ryoma didn't say anything but she knew what the boy was talking about. She closed her eyes as she said her reply, "Everything is fine now… Mom reconciled to me before you called."

"Sou ka," Ryoma replied, "then I am not worried anymore."

The boy never ceased to surprise her with his words. The boy was worried about her. She gripped her apparatus hard.

"Go to sleep now. Ja."

"…h-hai." She ended the call after that. She hugged her phone to her chest. She could feel her heart beating wildly as she thought of the person who was responsible for her heart to act like that. She lied down to her bed. A lot of things happened today and incredibly she was able to get a hold of them. She was able to sleep while whispering something that night;

"Ryoma-kun."

**xxx**

Fakir was on his way to his room when he saw an orange braided girl talking to someone that night. He wondered what they were talking about but judging from the girl's reaction it was somewhat serious. He studied the girl's changing reaction and how the girl reacted on the person's words. He was shocked when the person slapped her really hard on the face. He saw him whispering something on her ear before leaving there dumfounded.

_I saved your life so do as I told you._

She could still remember what _he_ told her. It was difficult for her to obey _his_ orders now. She couldn't object _him_ or else someone dear to her would be in danger.

"But doing 'that' would definitely…" she looked down as she was still touching the cheek the _guy_ slapped, "it so difficult. W-why would master asked to do such a thing?"

"Master? What do you mean? And why would he ask something that you couldn't do?"

She almost jumped when she heard someone talked behind her. So much for her mumbling mannerism. Her eyes widened when she recognized the person behind her;

"S-s-sir Fakir! W-why are you here? d-did you hear me talking to myself?"

He closed his eyes, "I heard you loud and clear."

She was shocked as she heard him say that. It felt that her world stopped. The boy heard her, he shouldn't know. No one should know. The true relationship between her and _him_. It was a top secret.

"What is going on Arima? Who was the person that you were talking earlier?"

"E-eh?" she blinked twice. So the guy didn't see the person she was talking a while ago.

"What did you talk about?"

She looked down as she gripped her hands on her sides, "P-please pretend that you didn't hear anything I said."

"What?"

Ahiru walked ahead of him, "its night… we should sleep now. G-good night… sir knight."

Fakir knew that the girl was hiding something from him and that was what the boy going to find out. He reached for her hand and pulled her to the tree making the latter flinched obviously. Good thing that no one was there anymore.

"You will tell me about the relationship you have with that person."

Ahiru stared at him with pleasing reaction before looking away, "P-please… I don't want you to get involve."

"Tell me, Arima."

She thought of escaping from him but how? The bodyguard of her mistress was pinning her hard on the tree. Didn't the boy know that she was blushing because of their closeness proximity?

"Spill it."

"S-sir Fakir…" she took the courage to look at him. With the sign of giving up she sighed, "n-not here… please… i-it is not safe talking here. H-he might be around."

Fakir stared at her before releasing her. If the girl attempted to run he could actually catch up to her. but the girl didn't, they started to walk to a place where the two of them could talk with no worries around.

* * *

**Two Weeks later:**

The snow was getting colder as weeks passed by. It was almost Christmas as they could hear Christmas songs everywhere. That time was already approaching and it was her first time to celebrate Christmas with the Kitazawa's. Chris didn't return after the event. Her fiancé had been calling her since then and always warning her about avoiding a certain tennis prodigy. She kept telling him that it was impossible because the boy was a special friend for her. No matter what the blonde boy said to her she just didn't listen. The boy wouldn't be returning back until New Year's Eve because of the problem they encountered in Great Britain, the reason why the boy suddenly went home that day and he was not able to solve it without his parents. She met his parents once on her recognition but it was only a brief introduction for his parents returned to Europe right away, promising to know her better the next time they returned to Japan.

There's only one week left before Christmas. The Kitazawa was planning to celebrate Christmas outside Japan and they were thinking of places to visit.

"What about in Germany? I think Sakuno would love to see the place?" Reinja suggested.

"But we've seen the place last year. She would probably enjoy it but not us." Reina complained.

"You are right, what about in Paris?"

"But dear, I think Chris-san will be the one to take her there, not us."

"That's true too," Reinja thought of another place to visit, "What about in Venice?"

"Well what about we ask her instead?"

The couple looked at her in surprised; Sakuno was fidgeting on her seat. They were taking her outside the country… away from her grandmother, away from the senpais… away from him.

"M-mom… D-dad… I-I have a favor to ask of you." She fidgeted on her words as she looked down. The couple blinked their eyes as they waited for her next words;

"Well what is it?" Reinja broke the silence when she didn't talk.

She closed her eyes really tight… hoping that they would agree;

"I-If you would permit me… I-I would like to…"

* * *

**December 24, Saturday, Ryuzaki residence:**

Sumire invited the team to her house that morning. Classes didn't implement that day due to some reason. In the lead of Tezuka, he invited everybody to go to their coach's house and celebrate Christmas Eve with them. Everyone agreed except Ryoma. He didn't like parties to be exact. But his stupid dad kicked him out of the house and was being dragged by Momoshiro to their coach's house.

"Come on Echizen, you are going to love this. Celebrating your birthday and Christmas at the same time is exciting." Momo announced while they were riding his senpai's bike with him at his back.

"che." He simply retorted.

Right.

It was his birthday. Amazingly that they could still remember his birthday despite that it was very common to celebrate Christmas rather someone's birthday. He was already greeted by his parents and his cousin and now he was being kicked out from his own home by his own family.

Great.

"Don't sulk Echizen. It's Chistmas, okay."

"Thank you for reminding me, senpai." He looked away. Momo continued to pedal on their way to their coach's house.

"Have you received any news from Ryuzaki-chan?" Momo asked suddenly to him. He made him notice about gripping on his shoulder when he replied;

"None."

"sou ka." Momo didn't reply after saying that.

**xxx**

Minutes later, they arrived at their coach's porch. Tezuka, Oishi, Inui and Fuji were already there, sitting on the sofa. The mother hen wanted to help their coach to prepare something but the latter insisted that she could do it herself. Well Tomoka was with her so everything was okay.

Later on, Kaidoh. Eiji and Kawamura arrived. Kawamura brought some wasabi sushi much to Fuji's appetite. Everyone sweat dropped when they saw the large tray of sushi the former powerhouse player of the team was caring.

Sumire brought plates and rice for everyone, "Enjoy the morning breakfast guys… you will have lots later."

Everyone shouted for joy. The frenemies bickered over the sushi not the wasabi one; the golden pair knew what each other needed, Momo and Ryoma argued over the bun that was left but only to be stolen by Inui. Fuji enjoyed the spicy sushi. Tezuka was eating silently. The trio was talking to each other while eating, Horio called his girlfriend to come and eat with him. The girl was still doing something in the kitchen. Oishi felt thirsty but he couldn't see glasses everywhere, until someone politely dropped the glasses in front of him.

"Here you go, Oishi-senpai."

The mother hen looked up to the person, "Ah… thank you, Ryuzaki-chan."

Noise was created still… but they paused when they tried to register whose voice that was.

And then silence occurred.

…

!?

Everyone looked at the person who put the glasses on the table.

"RYUZAKI-CHAN!"

Sakuno closed her eyes as she smiled at them, "Meri Kurisumasu Minna-san."

The seniors approached her wildly making the girl panic and blush but she was still smiling at them. They hugged her, pinched her cheek, patted her head and so on and so forth, like they never seen her for ages.

"You really love surprising us, nya~" Eiji said.

"When did you arrive?" Oishi asked her.

"L-last night… m-my parents dropped me here. I-I'll stay here until tomorrow." She said as her blush never left her.

They shouted for her arrival and were happy about that. Everyone did approach her, except for Ryoma and Tezuka.

Tezuka barely smiled because he finally knew that she was the Christmas present for everyone and to her. He felt relieved that his coach was having fun especially this time of Christmas. Tomoka was her accomplice; he could see that the girl was smiling beside his coach. If she wasn't informed about Sakuno's arrival she would probably be screaming like the rest of them.

It was a total surprise for him. He couldn't believe that the girl was actually in front of them… in front of him.

…On Christmas day…

…On his birthday…

It was not a big deal though… she had been greeting him every year both Christmas and his Birthday. It was not different at all. Or so he thought. He was staring at her and he didn't know how long. He saw her looking at him making a shock to her face but later the girl smiled at him. He pretended that he didn't see her although; it's too late to do that. He drank his juice to make a move or something. The fact that the girl was there made him somewhat… happy.

**xxx**

"How did you ask permissions to your parents Ryuzaki-chan?" Oishi asked her that lunch time.

Sakuno stopped from eating and faced the mother hen, "w-well… I asked them politely i-if I could spend Christmas with my grandmother."

"Really? That's cool." Momo commented.

"But I promised that I would go to Venice with Chris-kun's family together with my parents on New Year's Eve."

Everyone remained silent. Sakuno was looking down so she didn't see that everyone looked at Ryoma. Ryoma stayed _stoic _as usual.

"Ryuzaki-san, are you sure that you are going to marry that guy?" Horio suddenly blurted out making the senpais looked at him sternly.

Tomoka hit her boyfriend on the head, "You and your stupid mouth!"

"What did you do that for?" He suddenly looked at the young tennis prodigy making him jerk back on his seat.

Sakuno who was recovered from shock replied, "M-marriage is not what I have in mind… at least not yet."

Silence was occurred and it was getting awkward. Momo changed the topic;

"So how's Capella and Fakir-san?"

"And Ahiru-chan too!" Eiji butted in.

Sakuno giggled a little, "T-they're fine. My parents went abroad and would stay there until the day after tomorrow. I was instructed to return before Christmas ended tomorrow. They would be there waiting for me. I bet Capella-kun misses me already."

"You should've brought them here." Sumire suggested.

Sakuno shook her head, "M-my parents didn't allow me. They let go of me today meaning I could be a …simple Ryuzaki Sakuno for a day with no bodyguards, maids, e-expensive clothes etc."

Everyone stared at her before Kawamura commented, "That's cool."

Sumire clapped her hands, "now, now, stop interrogating my granddaughter. Let's have a simple yet memorable Christmas this year," She said and then looked at a certain tennis expert, "and to Ryoma's birthday."

Ryoma just stared at them in shock when they received their greetings from them.

"Happy Birthday, Echizen!"

It took some time for him to realize what they said. He ended up closing his eyes and started eating the Christmas ham being prepared on the table.

"che."

He opened his eyes abruptly when someone was force to seat beside him.

"Seat and enjoy eating with us, Ryuzaki-chan." Momo insisted to the girl who was now seating beside the boy.

The girl was blushing as she looked down. Her hands were on her lap that was covering the table. The boy wasn't saying anything so she initiated the talk;

"Uhmmm… h-happy birthday again… R-ryoma-kun."

"Thanks." He said not looking at her. The tense was getting bigger between them but everyone wouldn't mind that.

Sakuno looked to the people in front of them; she smiled when they talked about funny things. She even closed her eyes for reactions. She gasped when someone grabbed her left hand under the table. She looked at him. His eyes were still on them but he was telling her one thing.

Ryoma held her left hand tighter as he was passing a message to her. He flinched a little when the girl responded. He looked at the corner of his eye. The girl was looking down and blushing. They were probably thinking the same thing;

They were happy that they could spend Christmas together… and his birthday.

* * *

**Done! How was this chapter? I want to know your thoughts. I've been noticing that the word count was increasing every time I was able to finish a chapter. I want to maintain the average number though…**

**Anyway… tell me your thoughts… one word could make Mitsukijunko happy… ^_^**

**Next Chapter: Because I am Ryuzaki for a day**


	18. Because I am Ryuzaki for a Day

**Hi there! I am back with the new chapter… It was not in my plan but I am making both Christmas and Ryoma's birthday into three chapters. Yap… this is still Ryoma's birthday… Did I surprise you? I am making this because Christmas is approaching as well. So enjoy the second chapters. Oh, and advance Merry Christmas to all of you. ^_^**

**Yumi014 - I am so pleased to hear such wonderful words from you. Thank you very much for that. We sure are fortunate indeed. I enjoyed living my life normally... tee hee hee...**

**Guest - thank you for those words... well, you will not in the future... Your 'bitin' will continue if you stop now... tee hee hee... I hope you like this chapter... ^_^**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own POT. Not even in my second life.**

* * *

**Chapter 18: Because I am Ryuzaki for a Day**

**Chapter Summary: She was free for a day, she could anything for a day, she could be a Ryuzaki for a day… she could be herself for a day.**

* * *

**Two weeks ago:**

It was already midnight. Somewhere far from the mansion there was a garden that filled with different colors of roses. She stood there near the fountain and stared at the koi fish that were swimming freely. When she thought that everything was safe and no worries to divulge anything, she started;

"Y-you don't have to know this… S-sir Fakir."

The knight just stared at her waiting for her to confess everything. Why would the guy interfere with her life? It was not his business to mind after all. But when she stared at his eyes, he was telling her that she should say it. She gripped her hands tight as she sighed really hard;

"I was an orphan when my master found me from the outskirts of the town. He saved my life from despair and worst death. I owe him my life and I'll do everything for him."

"Who is this master of yours?"

She flinched when Fakir asked her his name. She paused for a while before deciding to continue, "My master was long dead now."

"I don't get you. Who was the person that you were talking, Arima?"

She looked away, "that person is my master's son. He appears to be my master now when my real master died. I am not allowed to disobey him."

Fakir walked closer to her making her flinched, "what is this order that you mustn't disobey?"

"S-sir Fakir, don't go further, please. I told you; you must not involve in my problems. This has got nothing to do with your job or my job inside the mansion." She tried to walk away but Fakir stopped her.

"Too late Arima, too late for that," He stared straight to her eyes, "You are about to disobey that person's orders when _he _slapped you there."

She was shocked on his words. Since when did he start spying on her? How far did he know of her secret? She was beginning to worry about him and to the person that she cared about. Fakir noticed her tense. He held her hand firmly and said;

"I'll offer you my help. Rest assured that I will."

"W-why are you saying this? Y-you don't know that job that I am in."

"I know… but judging from your reaction, and hard enough to tell me everything. I think I could trust you."

"S-sir Fakir…" She blushed when the knight said that. She found a companion in his presence. She told something to him as she looked down, "a-actually… I knew Capella-kun's past."

"What?"

"I promised_ her_… that I'll take care of Capella-kun at all cost. The boy is so important to me that I would risk my life to him. Then my current master discovered my secret and he took advantage of that. I couldn't stop him beating Capella-kun in front of my very eyes. Then, I promised master that I would do anything as long as he didn't lay a finger on him."

"You promised who? And why is Capella so important to you?" Fakir asked her still holding her hands.

She closed her eyes as she blushed really hard, "Capella-kun is a son of a very important friend of mine."

Fakir was a bit shocked. Ahiru opened her eyes as she said her next words, "You are guessing it right, I know his mother."

Ahiru managed to let go from his hand and looked at fountain once again, "I promised her that I would take care of him. Since Capella was an unwanted child from my friend's parents, they asked me to kill the poor child. But I couldn't do it. I saved the child and took care of him for five years like my own. When I found a job in this mansion, I made certain to him that he wouldn't call me mother or aunt or anything to keep him safe. He should act that he didn't know me. But my master found me here and my secret when I started working here."

"You are telling that you didn't live with your current master for five years?"

"H-hai… I escaped from him when he tried to harass me. I didn't know that he was still looking for me all these years. I am worried now that he discovered my secret. I am worried about Capella-kun," she closed her eyes real tight when she said that, "I don't want anybody to get involve with my problems, it will be more safe for the both of us."

Fakir walked closer to her and to the girl's surprised, the knight gave her a slight knock on her head, "Didn't I tell you that I would offer you my help."

"B-but… you don't know what I am doing."

Fakir put something on her palm, "whatever it is, I know that I can save you. I am doing this for our mistress, she is happy when she's with you and Capella is not an exemption. You are the only ones who can make our mistress happy. Don't do anything reckless."

She stared at boy and pouted a little. So he was doing this for the mistress' sake and not for her. She was hoping that he would do it for her sake… at least a little.

"And you are the only one that can tend my wound."

She blinked when the boy said that. Well it was better anyway. She smiled as a confirmation. The guy decided to walk away. She looked at her palm and shocked. It was a transmitter; she could call the guy whenever she was in trouble. The transmitter was really small that no one could notice if she was wearing one. She bowed to him, "Arigatou, sir Fakir."

Fakir waved his hand, "its Fakir to you."

She was shocked a little but she closed her eyes and smiled, "Arigatou… Fakir-san."

* * *

**December 23, 20xx:**

The maid was running an errand for her mistress. Capella was asking to come with her but she insisted not to. She told the boy that he should take care of the mistress while she was away.

"Kya! Fakir-sama is really gorgeous!"

She looked when the noise came from. She saw the other maids and women screaming for Fakir's name. The knight was just walking to their way. He didn't do anything but to walk passing their way while his eyes were closed.

"He is the most handsome knight I ever seen. I wish that he could save me from danger." The lady shrieked while squeezing the clothes that she was rinsing.

"Yeah, you are right. But we know that someone like him will never notice a commoner like us." The other maid announced.

"I guess we can only dream to someone like him."

Ahiru looked away from those ladies. They were right; knights were loyal servants to the noble family. Of course, they will only serve their masters. And Fakir was not an exemption. The guy was definitely handsome. She could still remember the first time they met. It was four years ago, before Fakir served the Kitazawa family. She tended his wounds from a battle that she didn't know. She was the one who introduced Fakir to the couple and became a bodyguard at the mansion first before becoming Drosselmeye and Sakuno's bodyguard. But when the boy became a bodyguard his attitude changed and that was the reason why she started avoiding him. They became aloof after that but as she became away from him, she only realized her true feelings for him. She missed the guy she saved that night.

It was all thanks to the mistress, that they started talking once again… and the new secret that they shared weeks ago.

She looked at her palm where the money was rested, "Good thing that item is really easy to find. I know Sakuno-sama will be happy this Christmas." She smiled as she was thinking of the item Sakuno was asking her to buy. She went to the golden gate after announcing to the guard where she was headed to and was about to open the gate of the mansion;

"Arima!"

She flinched when someone called her name and at the same time shocked when she saw the bodyguard running toward her, "F-fakir-san!"

Fakir stopped in front of her not making a sweat, "Where are you going?"

She blushed, "I-I am running an errand… f-for the mistress."

"I see," he said opening the gate for himself and walked ahead. Ahiru was wondering where the guy was heading. When he noticed that she was not following him the knight looked at her and talked, "what are still doing there, let's go."

"E-eh?"

"You have an errand to do right? Let's go before it gets dark." With that, Fakir turned around and continued walking.

She blinked her eyes twice. The bodyguard was coming with her. How did he manage to keep his reaction after being praised by those girls? He was pretty amazing. When she realized that she was not moving from her location, she started to run catching up to him before she received another scolding lesson from him. She thanked him for coming with her.

* * *

**Christmas Eve at Ryuzaki Residence:**

She was holding the gift in her hands. She smiled while she was thinking on how Ahiru got the gift from her. She placed the gift on the bed and stared at it for a while;

"I'll give it to him, later." She said as she covered it with the blanket.

Later on, she heard footsteps coming from her bedroom. She was not mistaken that it was her best friend's running footsteps that came and fetched her there;

"Sakuno-chan, what are you doing here, sulking? Everyone is looking for you downstairs." Tomoka said banging the door of her room.

Sakuno giggled on her best friend's action, "Mind the door, Tomo-chan. I've never been here for a while."

"Yeah! yeah! I know! Join us downstairs now. We don't have all day you know."

"Un," she nodded as she looked at her bed once again and soothe the bed sheet with her hand, "I am just missing my own bed room."

"Sa-chan… You are such a drama queen now. Who do you miss more, Us or your bed room?" Tomoka rolled her eyes exaggeratedly.

Sakuno giggled once again, "You of course, silly girl."

Tomoka grabbed her hand and dragged her out of her room, "Then what are you waiting for, let's go!"

**xxx**

Lunch time and everyone was at the garden of the Ryuzaki's. The regulars started playing tennis as their coach provided a space for them. The others were watching them play. Eiji and Oishi were having a match with Ryoma and Momoshiro while Kaidoh was playing with Inui.

"Hey! Let's play a game!" Eiji announced.

"We are already playing Kikumaru-senpai." Ryoma retorted.

Eiji played his racket with his hand like it was some kind of his hobby. He closed his eyes, "We are nya~ but that's not what I mean."

"Well what do you mean senpai?" Momo asked his senpai.

"Let's have the longest rally game." Eiji announced.

"What?"

"Whoever wins the game will have Ryuzaki-chii's strawberry sponge cake for himself."

Everyone was shocked on Eiji's words. Sakuno was shocked too. The girl stood up, "w-wait! S-senpai h-how'd-"

"Bring it on!" Ryoma suddenly announced.

"E-eh?!" Sakuno couldn't believe that Ryoma agreed to the deal. And how did Eiji know about the strawberry sponge cake that she made for everyone.

"Sounds interesting. My granddaughter will also share her cake to the person who will win." Sumire announced.

"O-obaa-chan!" She stood up stretching her hand to her grandmother.

"But it's unfair to the people who will lose. Let's divide the group into two." Kawamura said. Sakuno's protest was completely ignored.

Eiji faced Kawamura, "The cake belongs to only one winner Taka-san."

"Don't be selfish, senpai. Share the cake to everyone… at least to the winning group." Momo retorted.

"I agree besides, "Inui said while adjusting his glassed, "Cakes are tended to be in high sugar and carbohydrates, either of which are good for the body in excess so, as with eating too much cake of any kind, you could expect a higher concentration of sugars in your blood stream, raised blood pressure, and possible weight gain over a long period of time."

" … "

"The person who will eat the cake alone will get fat." Inui continued.

Eiji retorted, "Ah! That will be unfair. Okay, let's divide the group into two."

Inui and the others smirked secretly.

Sakuno watched the regulars divide themselves. She sweat dropped when the mortal frenemies bickered about the groupings. She couldn't stop the game anymore. In the end they made their groupings.

Group A: Eiji, Kawamura, Ryoma, Kaidoh and Tezuka

Group B: Oishi, Inui, Momoshiro, Horio and Fuji

The groupings were divided with the use of Janken game. It was divided evenly.

Eiji created tears as he looked away from his doubles partner, "Why am I away from Oishi?"

However, Tezuka and Horio had their different reactions but also had their own thoughts, _why am I involved in this?_

Thus the game began;

"It's one rally game only."

"E-eh?!" Both groups reacted.

Sumire faced, "We don't have all day, and knowing you guys, you wouldn't give up a single rally."

When the coach said that, they positioned themselves preparing for the game. They decided which group would start the game and Eiji's group would do the service game for one rally. The acrobatic player dribbled the ball for several times before tossing it upwards;

"I won't give up Ryuzaki-chii's cake for this." Eiji said as he hit the ball towards the other side of the court. The ball was sent to Oishi's direction;

"The same goes here." the mother hen returned the hit. Kaidoh hit it back with ease making the ball direct to Momoshiro's location;

"That's easy!" He announced hitting the ball back with a powerful backhand that created a lob. Eiji jumped to the net reaching for the ball by diving and flipping and giving them a smash hit, "This is over already, nya!"

He didn't see Horio near the net which was Fuji originally instructed the freshman to go there when Eiji ran to the net. The acrobatic player was a bit surprised to see him there and hit the ball back to them. The freshman fell back as he hit the ball to the other side with his weak forehand. It was all because of reflexes.

"E-eh?" Horio blinked twice.

"Way to go Horio!" Tomoka cheered for her boyfriend making the boy blushed.

"It's not over yet," Fuji opened his eyes as he stared at the person who was going to hit next, "pay attention guys."

Ryoma was on top while the racket was on his back he smirked, "mada mada dane, senpai." With that, he hit the ball really hard, bouncing the ball once to the other court. Fuji saw it coming;

_Another smash hit._ He thought. He followed the volley of the ball and calculated it. He smirked and talked, "Perfect." He returned the smash hit with his Higuma Ootoshi making the boy's eyes wide opened.

"Detaa! Higuma Ootoshi!" The duo and the girls shouted as they recognized the tensai's move. But soon, their attention was shifted to the other side of the court as an aura was being released… the volley of the ball was being controlled by a racket and put spin into it; hitting it back to the other court.

"Detaa! Tezuka zone!" the girls shouted. Tezuka hit the ball with his Tezuka zone smoothly and it directed into Inui's location.

"There's will be 90 percent that the ball will hit into Kawamura's direction and 10 percent that it will go out," Inui calculated as he fixed his glasses and stared at the ball, "I'd rather risk the 10 percent or losing the entire game." He hit the ball and Kawamura returned it with force. Momoshiro returned the hit with equal force but before the ball volleyed to the other side of the court, Ryoma run to the net and performed drive B.

Oishi saw it coming so he ran back to the court and waited for the ball to land. He hit it with a topspin lob making it to travel really high over the court. It was Eiji's turned once again and merrily retorted;

"I don't need to use my special move here," he somersaulted as he hit the ball back to their court but Fuji returned it with a drop shot. Kaidoh was there so he hit another lob, "fssh…"

"Thanks mamushi." Momo announced as he jumped high and made his smash dunk. The ball bounced to the other court and Tezuka just normally hit it back. He was far from the net and saw it coming.

On the other hand, the girls, the coach and the duo were already creating sweat drops on their heads.

"This is definitely taking too long." Sumire shook her head.

"H-hai…" Sakuno just closed her eyes.

Indeed the rallying took hours. Two hours to be exact and the game was not finished yet. It was already four in the afternoon but they could see how exhausted they were. But they were not planning to give one hit or the rally was over. Inui calculated everything while they play and it was amazing that he could catch up with the game. Horio wasn't doing anything much as Fuji and Inui were hitting the ball that was for him, although he could hit sometimes due to luck. Tezuka used his moved twice and never used it again. He only hit normal ones. As Eiji returned a hit with a drop shot, Fuji returned the ball with a lob out of reflexes. Eiji flipped once again and hit the ball back returning to Oishi's location. He collided his racket with friction on the ground and performed another moon volley.

Sumire looked at them play and noticed the result already. She closed her eyes and said, "It's finally over."

"E-eh?!" Sakuno looked at her grandmother, "H-how do you know about that?"

Sumire didn't answer her instead she looked back at the court to see Ryoma jumping to net once again;

"This is really over senpai-tachi," the boy said maneuvering his racket from his back, "I'll definitely have Ryuzaki's strawberry sponge cake."

The other side of the court became alerted. He examined his move and Oishi was prepared for his next actions. Ryoma gestured the racket in front of him like a slow motion action. They couldn't react when the boy finally made his move.

The boy followed the volley of the ball and before landing on the ground; he hit the ball with his racket lightly and landed on the other side of the net… in front of Horio. The boy blinked twice as he was trying to retaliate what had happened.

" … "

He lowered his hat and smirked, "We won."

"SUGOI! RYOMA-SAMA!" Tomoka screamed.

The others followed as Eiji and Kawamura grabbed Ryoma in place.

"Yatta! WE won! We are going to eat Ryuzaki-chii's cake!" The others couldn't believe what happened. The young tennis prodigy was still sly as ever. He faked his smash hit into a drop shot.

"And who was saying a while ago that _he_ would be eating the girl's cake," Momo said grabbing the boy from the neck, "Share your piece, Chibi!"

"Itte! Senpai, let go of me."

"By the way Inui, do you know the total count of our rally?" Fuji asked the data analysis.

Inui looked at him, "Actually, I counted but I lost tract of the number. I am sorry."

"3,651 times." Sumire said to everyone.

"E-eh?"

"The total count of your rally was 3,651 times."

The remained stunned for a while before reacting, "E-EEEHHH!"

"That's really a number." Momo commented while Ryoma nodded.

The others stayed silent. Tezuka just fixed his glasses while Kaidoh decided to seat near the girls. Horio was still shocked but terrified as Inui presented him his 'medicine.'

"Let's eat the cake now!" Eiji said.

Sakuno on the other hand was blushing really hard. Winning her cake was that big of a deal? She could make it every time they wanted to. She sweat dropped when she saw their reactions.

Sumire invited everyone inside. Sakuno began slicing the cake for the winners, into fourteen big slices. The winners would receive two big slices as she saved one for her and two for her grandmother and one for her best friend. Then she remembered something;

"u-uhmmm… I-I think I can give the losing team my strawberry pie instead."

Everyone looked at her to their surprised;

"Y-you made a strawberry pie?" Eiji asked her making the girl nodded, "w-why did you say so?"

Sakuno was about to say something but Momoshiro interrupted;

"Okay, let's have another contest for the pie!"

"E-eh, b-but senpai-" Sakuno tried to say something.

"Okay, let's play doing our special moves this time." Eiji agreed.

"W-wait-" she looked at them confusingly.

"Okay… that's interesting too." Sumire agreed once again.

"Sounds good to me." Ryoma smirked.

"Let's play outside." Kawamura announced. Making everyone agreed in unison.

"M-matte- senpai…"

Sakuno closed her eyes for a while as she was gripping her hands tight. Then she noticed the boys exiting the house once again and this time she turned to them and said;

"STOP?!"

Everyone looked at her with curiosity. Eiji approached her when the boy noticed her closing eyes;

"Doushitano, Ryuzaki-chii?"

She sighed hard before saying her words, "The pie is for the losing team from the previous game."

"W-what?"

"The pie is for them," she opened her eyes and looked at them. Everyone was shocked on her words but before they could speak she interrupted, "You guys had the cake so the pie should be for the losing group. Be fair for them."

"Sugoi ne, Ryuzaki-chan," Momo approached her; "You spoke your mind just now."

"Of course, I want to be me for a while," she looked back at Momoshiro while the girl was blushing, "because I am Ryuzaki… for today."

Everyone looked at her and then looked at each other for a while. Then a smirk formed on their faces as they suddenly approached the girl.

"Silly girl, of course you will always stay as our little Ryuzaki-chan." Oishi said to her.

"That's right. You are so funny." Momo agreed messing up with her hair.

"S-senpai-tachi…" she blushed. She accidentally looked at Ryoma's direction. The boy was looking at her and giving her a smile… well mostly a smirk one. She blushed once again because of that. With them… She could always be a Ryuzaki. Seigaku's Ryuzaki.

* * *

**Later on:**

The time passed smoothly. They celebrated two events that day. Christmas and Ryoma's birthday. Since it's the youngest tennis regular member's birthday, they gave him his privilege that day. Much to his annoyance, he was _forced_ to play suikawari for entertainment. He only tried it or he would be receiving Inui's juice that appeared from nowhere. Due to strong luck, he split the watermelon at first attempt. The others tried much to Ryoma's request and whoever failed to split the watermelon at first attempt would receive the 'punishment'. Everyone seemed to be having fun that day.

She went to her bed room once again as they were busy playing outside while the others doing their Christmas activities afterwards. She grabbed the gift from her bed and held it tightly. After a series of silence, she put the gift to her pocket and decided to go down.

_I think I could give it to him now._ She thought as she was walking down the stairs and started looking for a certain tennis prodigy. She was not aware what was happening at the front door as her grandmother was talking to someone outside. She looked near the kitchen and saw him there.

"R-ryoma-kun…" she called him. The boy was drinking his ponta while leaning on a jamb of their kitchen door. The boy was looking outside where the court was and watching Momo and Kaidoh bickered over something. She noticed that the boy was about to leave when she called him.

The boy faced him after he hoisted his drink, "what is it?"

She gripped her pocket as she looked down, "U-uhmm… y-you see… t-there is something," She blushed really hard and she knew that the boy was looking at her, "there is something that I-"

"Sakuno…"

She looked from the person who called her. Sumire approached her with a worried look on her eyes. Her grandmother put something on her palm that was free, "take this and go."

"W-what?" Sakuno was shocked on her grandmother's words. Ryoma put the empty can of ponta on the kitchen sink as he stared at his coach.

"Reporters are outside, I don't know why'd this happen but I think someone discovered that you are here."

"E-eh? H-how?" Sakuno was the one to react. How did they know about her place and how did they know that she was there?

"There's no time. You should go before they see you here," Sumire said kissing her forehead, "I'll see you tomorrow instead."

"O-obaa-chan." She could utter one word gripping her cell phone that her grandmother put on her palm earlier.

Sumire looked at the young tennis prodigy, "Ryoma go with her for a while, help her escape and be back here in the morning," She put something on his palm and continued, "go to this place and spend the night there."

Ryoma nodded in comprehension. The girl was blushing. She was going to run away with Ryoma.

"I am warning you Ryoma, take care of her ONLY," Sumire warned, "I am trusting my granddaughter into your hands."

"You have my word sensei." He said as simple as he faced Sakuno and grabbed her wrist making her flinch in his action.

"Now go!" Sumire said shoving the two on the other side of the door. The door for their escape.

* * *

**Done! I have notes in this chapter. I needed to include Fakir and Ahiru's conversation here. I just don't know how to reveal their secrets one by one but I know I am able to do that in the future chapters. How was the rally game? I hope I didn't mix the special moves they did there and how the rally took through their hits. I hope I did that just fine… I just thought that game on the spot though… that's why.**

**How did this go? I want to know your thoughts… Please let me hear them… MitsukiJunko needs lots and lots of motivation from YOU! Onegaishimasu!**

**Vocabulary:**

**Suikawari – Japanese term for watermelon splitting.**

**Sugoi – Wonderful, great, amazing**

**Yatta – alright, (more on appraisal)**

**Doushitano – what's the matter? Or what's wrong?**

**Just Sharing: My friend invited me to watch the live action movie of _Rurouni Kenshin_ last night but I couldn't come because of my work... mou... I am so sad... I really like the anime so the drama is not any different from it... Maybe I just buy the dvd copy of it somehwere here in the future tee hee hee... ^_^ **

**Next Chapter: Midnight Presents**


	19. Midnight Presents

**I am back again! How are you there?… I hope I am not losing the readers of my stories because I am afraid that they do not like the progress of it. I hope not… That's why I am always nervous every time I post a chapter here… but anyway… I desperately hope that you will like this one… ^_^**

**Yumi014 - tee hee hee... I probably ended up the same thing. Well, I got the idea from the anime itself when Ryoma and Kintarou battled for a point during the semifinals of national tournament. They actually rallied for forty-minutes just for a single point. So I guess two hours is almost possible for them especially when they playing by groups. well, it's anime... creators do have their wild imagination. :P **

**-Thank you for thinking like that for me... You are right, I should take it slowly. I should think things over before finalizing it. Thank you very much. (You sounded like Tezuka-buchou there, tee hee hee)**

**-And I think I know what you mean. I don't want to regret things that I didn't do in the end. Thank you for reminding me. and I thought you are a writer too, if you do tell me then. I really appreciate your words. and I'll do my best... I hope you like this chapter... ^_^**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own TeniPuri. Konomi Takeshi-sensei's one and only.**

* * *

**Chapter 19: Midnight Presents**

**Chapter Summary: They ran away from her residence but the problem was they didn't know how to spend the night without getting caught by reporters. They were popular and the night was…**

* * *

_I can't believe that I am escaping from my own house. _Sakuno thought while staring at her location. She couldn't believe it. She was running away from those reporters who discovered her whereabouts. She was at the back of their house… on top of the wall… sitting there while Ryoma was waiting on the other side for her.

"Jump, Ryuzaki!" the boy almost shouted making her flinch. She only realized that the boy had already jumped to the other side and was waiting for her.

"I-I am scared… R-ryoma-kun." she said looking down at him while holding the hump of the wall. The wall was seven and a half feet on the ground. It was not that tall and she could jump down like Ryoma did but the problem was there was a sewer that divided the wall from the ground and the boy was standing after the sewer. The sewer was six feet lower making the size of the wall almost double. One wrong move and then she would be dead. She flinched when the boy stretched both of his arms and said;

"Don't worry, I'll catch you."

She blushed when the boy said that. She blushed a lot because of two things. One; she was wearing a skirt and a blouse. She would be embarrassed to jump when the boy was looking down at her. Two; he would be the one to catch her there. It would be a reason enough for her to blush like that.

"Trust me."

She looked at him once again. The boy's eyes were serious, she knew that he wouldn't let anything happened to her. She composed herself as she made a decision. She closed her eyes and attempted to jump. But when she tried to jump, her left foot slipped to the hump resulting for her to jump in a wrong timing.

Ryoma saw that and he became aware of the situation. He ran closer to the sewer and almost fell when he did that. His feline eyes were pretty fast and calculated everything. He caught Sakuno with his body and gathered his strength to fall backwards avoiding the fall from the sewer. He was ready for that but for the next thing… he wasn't.

She shrieked when they both landed on the ground. It was very fast and she couldn't retaliate what had happened. She landed on him because he caught her just like he promised. Her eyes were closed all the time… at least when her body collided with his. The moment she opened her eyes, was too quick as the next thing happened. It took seconds for the both of them to realize something.

They almost 'kissed'.

Her lips were at the corner of his lips. She suddenly leaned back as she stared at him. The boy did the same too… who was a bit shocked. The girl was blushing when she realized that. She blinked her eyes twice as she slowly separating her body from him;

"G-gomen ne." she sat to his side as she looked down. She couldn't look at him after of what happened. She felt that the boy was sitting too.

"…Betsuni." He replied as he stood up when he recovered from the little shock. He picked his hat up that fell when they crashed before and pinned it back on his head. He looked at her nonchalantly… like nothing happened, "let's go before someone sees us."

"U-un."

With that, they started to run… away from that place.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at the mansion:**

Ahiru looked at the clock.

It was eleven in the evening. One hour before Christmas.

She gripped the gift wrap on her chest. She didn't know but she felt like giving a gift to Fakir. But the problem was she had no guts to give it to him. She became problematic because she couldn't find the knight elsewhere.

She looked everywhere. But there was no sign of him.

"Where are you?" she whispered.

She felt a total lost and signs of giving up were evading her when she couldn't find him that night. She walked to the tree where he first discovered her secret. The boy kept his promise. Yet, Fakir never asked anymore questions about her mission. She was very thankful of that, because if he did, he would be her another problem of worrying. She thought of the secret made them closer that leaded her to give him a present.

A Christmas gift.

She attempted to give him before but when she saw him rejecting even a Christmas gift from a girl, she lost confidence too. She was hoping that the boy would accept hers.

But he was nowhere to be found. She held the gift to her chest really tight as she sighed hard, "Guess I am also a reject." She closed her eyes as she leaned on the tree.

"Who's a reject? You say?"

She almost jumped from her position when someone talked behind the tree that she was leaning. She looked to her side only to find the knight beside her, his right arm was leaning just above her head.

"F-f-fakir-san! W-wh-why are you here?" she stuttered as she tried to distance herself from him.

Fakir saw the gift that she was holding to her chest. He sighed helplessly before saying his words, "I am avoiding the girls who are trying to give their gifts to me."

She stared at him and realized what he just said. So it was still the same. The knight was rejecting gifts from girls. Why he couldn't just accept them? It's just Christmas presents, not a valentine chocolate or anything.

"I-I see," she said as she quickly hid the present behind her and walked two steps backwards, "I-I guess I've been wasting your time. Y-you should hide now b-before someone sees you." she turned around and quickly put the present in front of her chest again reassuring that Fakir didn't see it. She didn't say anything as she started to walk away from him only to be stopped once again;

"But I am willing to accept yours."

She turned to face him again, encircling the gift behind her for the last time, "W-what do you mean?"

Fakir pointed the gift that was behind her while raising his eyebrow. Ahiru sweat dropped while moving backwards;

"E-eh… t-this is not yours… w-what makes you think that it is?" she smiled ridiculously.

Fakir put his right hand to his waist while still pointing the gift with his other hand, "If that is not for me, then why does that have my name on it, unless you know someone who happens to have the same name as me."

She blushed on his words. He hit her there. She looked away as she tried to explain, "I-I- "

Fakir walked closer to her making her blush even more. He stretched his left hand demanding for the gift.

Ahiru created another sweat drop. She panicked inside but knowing that she couldn't hide anything from him anymore, she quickly jerked the gift in front of him, "M-merry Christmas, F-Fakir-san!"

Fakir took the gift from her, "Thanks, can I open it now?"

She shifted her look while nodding. She waited for him to open the gift. It is a small red stone with tiny wings on each side. Fakir gave her a surprised look and stared at her. When she sensed that the knight was still looking at her, she panicked, "F-Fakir-san… I-I know that it sounds childish but… t-that stone… that red stone can save anyone. I-It saved my life for several times s-so I-I would like to share it with you…" she explained while fidgeting with her fingers, "t-that's why…"

Fakir stared at the panicky girl. He smiled at her action and looked above only to notice something there. He closed his eyes as he looked down to face her again, "I like it… thanks but I don't have a gift for you in return."

She looked back at him and flailed her hands uncontrollably, "N-no it's okay… I-it's not like I am expecting one from you or something. Y-you don't need to."

"I can give you one."

"E-eh? I-I told you… it's oka-"

She was interrupted by him when the knight suddenly walked to her and gave her a kiss on the lips. Her eyes widened as she could feel her heart was beating fast. She was stunned as realization came to her. He was kissing her there and it took eight seconds for him to release her.

"Merry Christmas, Arima." He smiled as he pointed something above them.

Blushing and still gaping, she looked above and saw something, "O-Oh, mistletoe…"

Fakir closed his eyes and started to walk away, "Ja."

It took a while for her to realize what just happened. She blushed really hard as she covered her lips, "F-F-F-akir-san k-ki-kissed me… b-because of the mistletoe…"

She started to run away from that tree, the exact opposite of Fakir's direction. Her Christmas had two memories for her to remember. And it was all new to her.

* * *

**Meanwhile:**

They travelled for hours by an evening bus. Good thing that the night was darkening and everyone was busy on their Christmas activities. She was wearing the boy's fila hat on her head and she was able to hide her plaits under it. He on the other hand, wore glasses that he bought on their way there. She felt awkward after what happened earlier but the boy seemed to act pretty normal about it. That was him anyway, known as the most stoic person she knew. There was a video on the bus that they rode. She blushed because the show was featuring her singing her song. She could see the boy stared at the screen. News spread after the opening event two weeks ago, and it became a troublesome for the both of them. And now they were the so-called in demand people these days.

"R-ryoma-kun… gomen ne. I always put you in trouble." Sakuno said fidgeting on her lap.

"Yeah, you did." He said not leaving the stare on the show.

Sakuno pouted secretly. _Y-you can at least deny it though… to make me feel better._ "I-I said I am sorry."

He looked at her direction. He smirked when he saw her pout, "but it would be boring if I can't sense the thrill from it."

She looked at him, "E-eh?!"

"I am curious about facing trouble so I don't mind."

She whispered her next words, "I wish I could do something that is out of trouble."

Having a sharp sense of hearing, he heard her. He leaned back and closed his eyes, "Spending my birthday with you is enough for me."

She looked at him with surprise. She blushed when the boy said that to her. He liked her presence on his birthday and then she remembered something. She was about to give it when the bus announced their arrival.

"We're here. Let's go." Ryoma said standing up and went to the door.

Sakuno followed him to exit to bus.

When they got off the bus, Ryoma looked around; they were in a remote area. Actually he didn't know the place; in fact it was their first time they went there. He looked at the paper his coach gave him. The place was called Hakuou City. It was the outskirts of Seigaku and it took hours for them to reach the place. It was already 11 in the evening. The snow was starting to fall once again.

"W-where are we going?" she asked him.

"Ryuzaki-sensei wrote here that we should ride a cable car to reach our destination." He said as he started to walk.

"U-un." She nodded.

They continued to look for their destination. They reached a cable car that was opened until midnight. They rode one and sat together but none of them spoke for minutes. The snow was getting heavier and it was so stupid of her to wear a skirt at such season. Ryoma noticed her trembling. He took off his jersey and put it on her lap. She flinched when the boy did that.

"B-but its cold… y-you might-"

"I am immune to cold." He simply said.

"Ryoma-kun," She looked at him but quickly looked back on her lap, "I'm such stupid. I should wear something appropriate for the season."

"Stop blaming yourself, we never expected something like this to happen." He looked at her.

She nodded as she understood him. Silence erupted between them. _This is so awkward. I-I never spent time with him for this long._ She thought as she looked at the jersey that was resting on her lap. She remembered the hat on her head. She took it off and gave it to him.

It was like a slow motion the moment Sakuno took the hat off of her head. Her plaits were slowly released down to her sides. The girl gestured the hat to him.

"T-thank you for the hat. I-I think its okay to show myself now."

Ryoma took off the glasses as well as he accepted the hat from her but he didn't wear it.

Sakuno looked at her cell phone. It was eleven-thirty in the evening. Thirty minutes before Christmas; thirty minutes remaining before his birthday ended. She yanked something on her pocket and showed it to him. Ryoma curiously looked at her and then to her palm;

"I-I should have given this to you earlier but the situation didn't let me," she blushed as she looked at him bashfully, "H-happy Birthday, Ryoma-kun."

Ryoma stared at her and then to her palm with the gift. He closed his eyes for a while and opened them as he took the gift from her, "thanks." He opened it even without asking for the girl's permission. She quietly waited for him until he opened the gift. His eyes were slightly widened. It was the same keychain that she had on her cell phone.

Silver tennis balls and racket keychain.

"I-I thought of giving you… that same thing that I have." She looked away when she said that.

Sakuno didn't know Ryoma's reaction after that. The boy was staring at her for long, a stare that she didn't know and the meaning behind it. The awkward silence was interrupted by the ringing tone of her phone. Ryoma looked away before Sakuno could notice and answered the phone;

"C-chris-kun?"

Great.

So much for the _beautiful _atmosphere. Everything _WAS_ fine until _he_ ruined it. Ryoma put his left hand to his face while still holding the gift to his right hand where his hat was resting as he made himself busy viewing the outside. For the first time in his life, he found the white view at night so interesting to watch.

"N-no, I-it's almost Christmas here… H-hai… O-obaa-chan's… she's fine… R-ryoma-kun's with me… W-we talked about this before… r-remember?... h-hai… I-I promised you, did I? You have my word…"

Ryoma could sense her that she tried to lower her voice as possible as she could but having sharp hearing sense, it was useless. Sakuno was talking to her 'fiancé' that night and there was no indication of ending the call… He thought that the blondie was intending not to.

"…M-merry Christmas too," He heard her saying to him. It took almost twenty minutes before she decided to end the call. He knew that the girl was looking at him, "I-I am sorry about that… C-chris-kun called me."

"… I know, I heard you call his name." He said not looking at her, still looking at those white snowflakes that were falling above them.

Sakuno stared at him and wondered about the sudden change of mood, "A-are you… angry?"

"No… I am not." He said as he sighed. He looked at her to his side but not facing her entirely.

Sakuno looked down as she said her next words, "but you… suddenly change."

His eyes were slightly widened as he looked at her now. Her expression was telling him that she made him upset. Well, he changed because of a slight… jealousy.

Jealous…

He was trying to retaliate with the word… since he was not that entirely familiar with that word yet. He sighed hard as he said his next words, "Just do me a favor and do not mention _his_ name on my _special_ day."

Sakuno looked at him with surprise. Did he just say that? She should know. She was a Ryuzaki today, she was no one's fiancée and it was his birthday today. She could be her on his birthday too… with no worries and rules to follow. She could her own way. She smiled at him, "H-hai… I promise."

Ryoma's eyes became widened as he saw that reaction to her once again. The girl looked cute when she was smiling like that. She looked innocent in his eyes and he couldn't take his eyes away from her.

Sakuno opened her eyes and noticed something on his head. The snow was covering his hair little by little, "R-ryoma-kun, you should wear your hat now, i-it's really cold." She tried to reach for his hat with her gift that was resting on his lap but the boy grabbed her right hand with his left and lifted them in the mid-air. Sakuno was curious on his action so she stared at him. She was shocked when the boy was staring intently at her. Her eyes were moving at every angle of his face. She was blushing as she tried to ask, "W-what's wrong?"

He didn't say anything. Instead he tilted his head to his right as he leaned closer to give her a kiss on the lips. She wasn't prepared for his action. She felt that her heart jumped off from her chest. He was kissing her. Ryoma was kissing her. She also felt his hand that was grabbing hers tightened. It was trembling though maybe that was reason he held it tightly. After a few seconds, he released her as well as her hand. She was blushing all the time and her eyes and her lips were slightly opened. She blinked her eyes for several times trying to realize what had happened between them. She slowly looked away from his stares and looked down on her lap.

"W-why did you… do that?" she asked pluckily. She could sense his stare at her. The boy was not leaving his stare at her but he did look away and stare ahead when he said his words;

"Capella said so."

That's it? Capella said something like that before. So Capella could sense other people's intentions. He must have a good intuition. She gripped her hands on her lap. She was still blushing. _I-it was my… very first kiss._ She bit her lower lip after she thought of that.

It was a wrong move she did, Ryoma saw that and quickly changed his answer, "Iie, I actually wanted to do that," he said as he raised his left hand once again and made her look at him by moving her chin towards him, "and this one as well."

He leaned closer to her face and kissed her once again. She was still surprised on his moves. For the second time of that day, the boy was kissing her. It was the boy's birthday too. She knew that her lips were trembling on his kiss. She tried to calm herself when she realized that the boy would be kissing her longer than the first one. She didn't move because she didn't know how to respond. She knew that Ryoma understood that. It was stupid and she was embarrassed to do that. No… she was afraid to respond… afraid that she might do the wrong move. In the end, she closed her eyes as she placed her right hand to his left chest, indicating that she was allowing him in full control. She was allowing him because she was not an engaged princess. She was allowing him because she was Ryuzaki Sakuno that everyone knew. She wished that she could stay a Ryuzaki for him. Then, he released her. He put his hands to her neck as he leaned his forehead against hers both of them were eyes closed. She was still blushing after that second, long kiss.

No one said a word but they stayed in that position for a while. They both jerked away when they heard a bell from somewhere and greetings from the people below them. It was Christmas already. They both looked away from each other but Sakuno broke the awkward silence;

"M-merry Christmas… R-ryoma-kun." She blushed as she couldn't look at him.

On the other hand, Ryoma was looking at her and smiled that she didn't know, "Aa, Merry Christmas."

**xxx**

They got off the cable car at around midnight. It was the final ride for the people that night. They walked a few blocks away before reaching their destination. Ryoma talked to the landlady and explained everything. The landlady recognized her… not as a Kitazawa but Sumire's granddaughter. She felt happy because of that. They discovered that the landlady was a long time friend of her grandmother and she was a big help for them. She led them to their room. Of course they should have their rooms separated. But Ryoma still insisted that his room should be next to hers. The landlady sighed as a sign of surrender. She prepared their rooms that night.

"Enjoy the night young teens and don't do anything stupid or I'll report everything to Sumire-san." The landlady warned them.

"Hai..." they both said in unison.

The landlady left them afterwards. The both of them looked at each other but no one said a word. Sakuno looked down as she tried to say her words;

"I-I'll go inside now… O-oyasumi Ryoma-kun…" She said as she went inside and closed the door without waiting for his reply.

She went to her futon which was already prepared. She laid her back there and thought everything that happened today…err yesterday actually. From the time they escaped from her own house, the almost kiss and the cable car events, the gift she gave him and the kiss. She never imagined that the almost kiss could happen to be a kiss in the end. She touched her lips unconsciously as she thought of his moves.

_He… kissed me. N-not only once… but twice. _She blushed when she thought that. She almost jumped when her phone rang. Her heart beat fast once again as she saw the name that registered on her phone.

Ryoma was calling her.

She calmed herself down before answering the call, 'h-hai, R-ryoma-kun.'

'Can't sleep.'

She blushed as she nodded, 's-seems like it.'

'I won't bother you anymore, I know you are tired.' The boy on the other line said.

Sakuno didn't sit when she answered the call but her heart was still beating fast, 'Y-you are tired as well, I guess… I'll see you tomorrow.' _Because I can't take it anymore… I-If I see you more… t-today. _Her heart was screaming for her own thoughts.

'Un,' He replied.

'U-uhmmm, I am sorry that I don't have a gift to you for Christmas.' She said.

'… It's okay; I have received enough gifts for today.'

'E-eh?!'

'I know that you did too.'

She felt her face became red all over again. She felt that her entire body was. Her heart was beating rapidly than before. He made her remember those kisses once again.

'Try to sleep now, Ja.'

'click.'

'beep… beep… beep…'

She was still listening to the busy tone of the line. Her lips were slightly opened as her eyes were wide. She slowly put the phone to her side and turned to that side. She allowed him to do that. She rejected Chris before and she even rejected him as well… the guy that she liked… really like.

But…

Why did she allow him now? Her eyes softened as she thought of those kisses. She didn't regret it. What happened on his birthday was something that she could remember…

…When she became a Kitazawa once again.

* * *

**Done! Sigh! Did you guess the 'presents'... Let me know if you did. How was this chapter? I hope you like it? I am really hoping that you did… did... did... did... tee hee hee...**

**New Year's Plan: (I am not sure if you did see this in my AC fic.)**

**I don't know if it's cliche but next year I am planning to make a new fic of POT and I need your help... can you name a sport for me? Anything except those sports that Seigaku played in the series (besides tennis of course.) It will be a _FIC_ not a one-shot. So please... the first chapter will be sometime in January. I hope to see you soon... Thanks...**

**I don't know if it is just me or anything but do my students love me that they are all present today? And I never had a time to rest or to read my fics online… tee hee hee… I had a tough day so sorry for the wrong grammar you had seen here. (My brain is not working properly these days.)**

**Hakuou City – the city is actually Hakuou Middle School, an all girl school from another anime called Softenni. It's an anime where girls play soft tennis this time. **

**I also do not own Softenni and never will… It's all thanks for the anime.**

**Reviews please! I really need to know your thoughts. I've noticed some readers put this fic on their faves and alerts but never reviewed. I've been wondering about them though, I hope they share their thoughts to me :(**

**… If you really like this let me know… Your words count… Domo…**

**Next Chapter: Forgotten Memories**


	20. Forgotten Memories

**Hi there! I guess I want to extend Ryoma's birthday and Christmas chapter and this is the last one. This is unexpected by the way so everything that I wrote here was just on my spot thoughts. I am running out of time… I hope I can make it… I am making one-shots for Christmas and New Year today making my day more complicated. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this… ^_^**

**Yumi014 - You are right,... I wish to live in anime world too... if only it's possible though... ;P**

**I see... I kinda relate that thought of yours... You are right because writers begin to post and story but they don't know how to end it. It's the same for me but I know I can end mine... I mean I have the slightest idea on how to end the story... **

**thank you for the sport suggestions.. I will reconsider it...**

**also thank you for telling me and it's okay... just enjoy your vacation.**

**I am glad that you love the last chapter... I appreciate it... and about u/55981/Bunny-Sailor-Moon... actually I don't see the mistake on your review but anyway... you're right, I've seen some of her stories... she's good too... ^_^**

***Btw... there is a slight change about Sakuno and Chris' New Year's Vacation, Instead of Vienna they will go to Venice. So I'll g ond change it... thanks... ^_^**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Prince of Tennis. Capiche**

* * *

**Chapter 20: Forgotten Memories**

**Chapter Summary: For that short time, they met him, they met her. For that short time, in Hakuou city, it's a memory that must not have forgotten. And when they went back to Seigaku…**

* * *

She was awakened by the voice of someone and the sound of racket swinging in the air. At first, she thought that it was Ryoma but the boy never created a sound like that and the boy never brought his racket when they escaped. Besides, the voice that she was hearing was coming from a girl. Due to her curiosity, she crawled to the door and slid it opened. She saw a girl indeed, swinging her racket back and forth. The girl was standing ahead of her so she didn't realize her behind. The girl had pink hair and her racket was pink as well. Not long before, she noticed that the other door slid opened as well and revealed a sleepy Ryoma there; probably the boy heard the swinging too. A memory suddenly gushed to her making her blushed a lot. She quickly looked away before the boy was able to look at her.

"Chissu" he announced while yawning. Sakuno and the girl both looked at him. The girl stopped swinging her racket and faced them;

"Ah, did I wake you two up," the girl said and bowed in front of them, "Gomen. I was just practicing my swing."

Sakuno went out of the room and approached the girl, "N-no it's okay. We need to leave early after all."

Ryoma followed suit. He stared at her racket and noticed something, "that's for soft tennis, right?"

"E-eh?" the girl reacted lifting the racket, "yeah, how did you know?"

"Your swing brings more powerful force when the wind creates more sound. That means your racket is lighter and more flexible," the boy pointed the string of her racket, "the string has lower compression to fit for the soft balls."

The two blinked twice as the girl reacted, "Sugoi, you are a racket expert."

"che."

"U-uhmm, h-he's a tennis player, you see." Sakuno announced not looking at him.

"R-really, that means you are holding the heavier ones."

Ryoma just pinned his hat down. Sakuno asked her instead, "Y-you play soft tennis then."

"Yap, I'm a soft tennis player in Hakuou middle school. The name's Asuna, Harukaze Asuna." The girl cheerfully said and reached for her hand.

"S-sakuno… K-Kitazawa Sakuno." She blushed as she was about to reach for her hand when Ryoma grabbed it making her to look at him.

"Ryuzaki."

"E-eh?" both Asuna and Sakuno looked at him. The latter blushed.

"You are Ryuzaki."

She looked away, "h-hai."

Asuna looked at both of them and blushed later, "d-did you two… e-e-e-el-elope? T-that means… th-that-"

Ryoma and Sakuno blushed at the same time, although, the former didn't express it transparently. He just pinned his hat lower.

"W-we are not like that!" Sakuno defended themselves, "w-we are just, just…" _running away. _She couldn't voice it because it sounded like Asuna was true.

They became silent after that, seconds later Sumire's friend appeared from a corner and called them;

"I am glad that you two are awake. Come and join us for breakfast."

"Hai, Obaa-san," Asuna replied, "Well, wait are you two waiting for? Let's go."

The two just looked at each other for a while before deciding to follow the cheerful girl.

**xxx**

Morning breakfast welcomed her. To Ryoma's delight, it was a Japanese breakfast. He didn't hesitate to walk down and sat on the tatami floor. Sakuno followed and sat beside him. Asuna sat on the other side while the old lady prepared for the water.

"Asuna call the young man to sit in with us." The old lady ordered her granddaughter.

The pink haired girl nodded and stood up. She went to the other side of the door and shouted merrily;

"TEITO-KUN! BREAKFAST IS READY!"

They were shocked on her call. The old lady hit her head lightly, "stupid, that's not the proper way to call him"

"Gomen, gomen, hee hee," she stuck her tongue out as she raised her hand at the back of her head. She didn't notice a figure behind her.

"You are blocking my way."

Everyone looked at the figure who talked behind Asuna. The latter looked behind her, "Ah, sorry."

The person entered the room with eyes closed and sat at the other side of the table across them. Ryoma and Sakuno stared at the person curiously but the latter didn't say anything and was just sitting there. Asuna sat beside the new comer and introduced each other.

"Sakuno-chan this is Teito Klein, Teito-kun this is Sakuno-chan and…" she looked at him.

"Echizen Ryoma." The boy continued. He hadn't introduced himself because of the awkward conversation earlier.

"N-nice to meet you." Sakuno looked at Teito who had opened his eyes. _He has green eyes. _Sakuno thought.

Teito just stared at them and nodded. Ryoma did the same.

"Sorry about that. Teito-kun here doesn't remember anything about his past. So he can not express himself well." Asuna announced to them.

"Asuna!" Teito looked at the pink-haired girl.

"Gomen, gomen."

They were shocked at first but recovered as fast. Sakuno flailed her hand in front of him, "I-it's okay. I-I hope that you can have your memories back soon."

Teito looked at her making her flinched. He was showing no reaction and he seemed to be aloof, "thanks." He later said despite the unfriendly approached towards them.

_W-why do I see Ryoma-kun in him? H-he acts like him but more… introverted. _Sakuno thought as she looked down. Ryoma looked at her curiously.

"Stop the interrogation and eat," the landlady announced gesturing the food in front of them. They ate silently. It took minutes for them to finish their breakfast.

**xxx**

Asuna went back to grab her racket and continued swinging after a couple of minutes of resting. Teito decided to sit on the wooden floor near the room Sakuno slept last night. The dark-brown haired young man stared nowhere as if thinking of something deep. Ryoma being devoted to tennis had the urge to play tennis. He approached the girl and said;

"Can I see your racket?"

Asuna stopped swinging her racket and looked at him, "Ah, sure, Okay." She handed him her racket. Ryoma was a bit shocked to notice how lighter soft tennis racket was. He felt that he was holding a bird's feather in his hand. He confirmed it when he swung the racket.

"It's light."

"Of course, its soft tennis, silly," Asuna gave him a rubber ball, "try hitting this."

He examined the rubber ball in his hand. It felt different when he was gripping a tennis ball. True that he knew some information about soft tennis but he never tried playing before. It was all new to him. He dribbled the ball for several times before lifting it up and hit it with the racket.

Asuna, Sakuno and even Teito were shocked when the ball flew way far from their backyard. Ryoma couldn't believe it as well. He thought that it was impossible to retrieve it now. He looked at the racket and thought. _It is really different from tennis._

"Sugoi, Ryoma-kun! You are good at hitting." Asuna commented him.

Ryoma pinned his hat down and gave the racket back at her, "thanks… and sorry about the ball."

"Don't be, I have lots you see." She said gesturing the set of rubber balls behind her.

Ryoma put his hands on his pocket and said, "Hmmm, yarujan."

Sakuno looked at them talking. She smiled at how the boy was really into the sport. She really like the boy played tennis that's why every time he had a match; she was always there to support him. She liked his tennis… and Ryoma himself. She blushed when she thought about that. Thinking about him made her look away from their direction. Then, she noticed Teito who was sitting alone not far from her. She decided to walk to his position.

"D-do you mind… i-if I seat here?" she asked him.

Teito stared nowhere and it took seconds before he responded to her, "I don't mind."

Sakuno sat near him but she never said a word. It felt awkward now that the guy wasn't trying to say anything. He was not really sociable.

"U—hmmm, h-how do you feel?" she asked.

Teito looked at her with bewilderment, "what do you mean?"

She blushed as she looked down, "I-I mean… a-about not having a memory," she fidgeted with her fingers, "I-I'm sorry if I asked something weird… y-you can forget about it."

Teito stared at her for a long time and she was aware of that. Then she heard him sighed, "I feel hollow… and empty."

"E-eh?" she looked at him. The young teen was looking at Ryoma and Asuna this time. She noticed that he was holding something in his hands and was playing it. Teito must've notice it so he shifted his stare from them to his hands.

"This is the only thing that I've got. But I don't know anything about it," his eyes softened as he stared at it. Sakuno looked at his hands and saw a green stone with black carvings inside, "I only remember that this stone is called 'the eye of Rafael'."

"T-the eye of Rafael?" She repeated.

Teito nodded, "I need to know something about this stone. This is the only clue I have, for my identity."

Sakuno stared at him for a while, trying to absorb everything that he said. Teito was starting to express himself when they talked about his past. He was not as introverted as she thought he was after all. She looked at the other people like he did and said; "Y-you know sometimes… it's better to forget your past."

"What do you mean?"

"Because if there are things that you don't like to remember from your past and get on with your life, I prefer to lose my memories in that way," she fidgeted with her fingers once again, "it's painful… you will not remember that part of your life but you are not going to hurt yourself thinking about that painful part because you don't have a collective memory of it."

Teito stared at the girl before looking away, "I don't like something like that and I don't like the way I am right now. I feel like there is something that I need to accomplish but without my memory, I couldn't do anything."

Sakuno blinked when he said that, "I-I guess you're right. On what I had said felt like I am running away from my true self," she closed her eyes and smiled helplessly, "I guess I am after all."

"You are running away from something, aren't you?" Teito asked her.

"Eh?" The young man could read her. Teito was aloof but he was observant. Or because she opened up a bit to him that he guessed her right.

"I won't stay hollow and empty for long. If my past is painful, I will face it. It's scary to know my past but I'll face it."

Sakuno thought really hard. He was right after all. She stood up and put her hands behind her and looked back at him, "I'll do the same too. Thank you for telling me."

Teito looked up to her.

"We just met today, b-but I think that I've known you from a very long time now," she smiled at him for the last time, "You are not stoically as I thought you were."

His eyes widened a little when the girl said that. He closed his eyes and smiled, "Cliché, I thought the same thing too. Maybe that's the reason why I told you something about me."

She was shocked when Teito wore a smile on his face. So he could show his expression after all.

**xxx**

It was seven in the morning when they decided to leave the place. The landlady gave something appropriate for them to wear. Sakuno wore a thick creamy winter wool. The edging had fine fur and cotton lining. It also had a short cape with hood and could be fastened with straps in the front. She looked cute in Ryoma's eyes. The boy wore the same outfit only to be men version. Without the short cape and straps in the front; only the hood that was connected at back of his neckline.

"Thank you for everything, Obaa-san, Asuna-chan, Teito-senpai." Sakuno bowed in front of them, "And Merry Christmas to all of you."

"Merry Christmas too," Asuna held both of her hands and said, "You are always welcome to come back here, Sakuno-chan," she looked at Ryoma, "You and your boyfriend that is."

Sakuno blushed and reacted, "N-no, y-you got it all wrong- h-he's just… a-a friend." She looked down so she didn't see Ryoma's reaction except Teito who was staring at him.

The landlady just smiled at them.

Teito said something for the first time, "I hope that we will meet again."

Sakuno looked at him, "H-hai, let's meet again someday."

"And..." he looked away.

Sakuno just stared at him waiting for his next words.

"I prefer Teito-kun," he looked back at her, "Call me that."

"H-hai." She blushed a little.

"Don't give up." Teito shifted his stare to Ryoma after saying that. The boys stared at each other for a while before the tennis prodigy nodded.

"Uissu."

The girls blinked on their comprehension only the boys could understand.

"Come and watch me play sometimes, okay. I'll introduce to my friends at Hakuou middle school next time," Asuna cheerfully announced when they started to walk away, "I'll see you play Tennis too."

Ryoma waved his hand and said, "See me on Tennis nationals."

Asuna stared at them curiously, "N-nationals? H-he joined a national tournament already?"

"Hmmm, I thought he's somewhat familiar." The landlady thought raising her hand to her chin.

"What is it, Obaa-san?"

She tried to remember him and then a memory suddenly popped inside her, "Ah, c-could it be?"

"W-what is it?" she followed her grandmother inside who was looking at something and then she saw her grabbing the latest magazine from their cabinet. They were both surprised to see who was inside;

"That was him!" Asuna couldn't believe her eyes as she pointed a tennis prodigy at an article.

"He's the youngest tennis player who ever won four consecutive tournaments way back in America and now he is making his name in Japan."

"H-He's so popular! So as Sakuno-chan too."

"Those two are a perfect match." The landlady whispered to herself while Asuna nodded.

* * *

**Several hours later:**

They were on their way back to Seigaku. They remained silent for a while as they were inside the bus. The ride would take hours before reaching their destination. It was awkward now that they were alone once again. She wasn't recovered on what had happened between them, especially last night. Thinking that thought made her blush once more.

"Ne,"

She almost jumped when the boy suddenly talked beside her, "H-hai."

"If you feel like running away, just give me a call."

Her eyes widened when she looked at him. Ryoma was really different ever since she was separated from them. The tennis prodigy was willing to runaway with her if she felt like it. She didn't know but she kind of like his idea. She smiled sheepishly and nodded.

She was shocked when the boy suddenly held her hand. The boy was looking at the window when she looked at him. His other hand was leaning on his chin but he was aware on what he was doing. She blushed on his action but she responded to his hand. They remained silent on the entire ride.

* * *

**Later on:**

They finally arrived at their location. With no hassle much to their relief. The reporters had stopped pestering her house sometime ago as they could sense that it was quiet now. They looked at each other before walking back onto their porch. Sakuno was about to knock when the door suddenly opened.

"SAKUNO-CHAN!" a powerful hug from her best friend welcomed her, "I'm glad that you are safe."

"T-tomoka-chan," she tapped her best friend's head, "I-I am glad to see you too."

Sumire appeared from their back and looked at Ryoma, "Thank you very much Ryoma."

The boy just pinned his hat down, "uissu."

"Let's go inside, everyone is waiting for the both of you." Sumire said separating the two. Grabbing Sakuno's hand and dragging her inside the house. Ryoma and Tomoka followed suit. They were welcome with headlocks and hugs by the regulars who stayed the whole night when they learned what had happened between them.

"You are lucky, Echizen. Having Ryuzaki-chan all by yourself," Momo said leaning to him and whispered something on his ear, "did the two of you do something?"

His eyes widened and a slight pink color appeared on his face. He distanced himself from his senpai and retorted, "Nothing happened. Baka."

Momo just smirked on his words.

"I guess these two eloped without us knowing it." Eiji teased the two.

Ryoma and Sakuno looked away. The latter blushed really hard while the former just coughed as he pinned his hat lower than before.

"S-something did happen, judging from your reactions." Momo reacted.

Momo and Eiji received a hard knock from their coach making everyone laughed at them.

"I just want to remind you that you are talking about MY granddaughter." Sumire faced every one of them.

"H-hai." They both said in unison while creating sweat drops on their heads.

"Okay, let's continue the party yesterday. We still have the whole afternoon."

"HAI!"

Ryoma and Sakuno both discovered from Tezuka and Oishi that those reporters stayed there until past midnight. They gave up when they thought that the news they heard was not true after all. Fuji did something to make them go away. Whatever it was, they never found that out, so much for the tensai.

**xxx**

"Ne, Momo-senpai." Ryoma approached his senpai.

"What is it?

"Play a match with me today." He said at him.

Momo stared at him before smirking and replied, "Okay, let's go."

They started playing and everyone watched them. The game was as usual in his kouhai's favor. Ryoma was about to serve for his triple set point when Momo asked him something;

"Na, Echizen? What did you do last night, really?"

"What do you mean?" he asked back as he still served.

"Where did you go?" he hit the ball back.

Ryoma returned it, "Some place where we can play tennis that is soft."

Everyone who heard it except Sakuno blinked. Momo asked him, "What is that?"

Ryoma just smirked. Later on, he ended his service game and winning the match at the same time. He tagged his hat down and looked at him, "Mada mada dane, Momo-senpai."

Momo created a sighing sound, "Sly as always."

**xxx**

The day went on as they celebrated Christmas but the day had to end. Everyone stopped from their activities when they saw a white limousine arrived just at the front of the house. They were outside the porch so they could see the luxurious car. Sakuno's heart pounded so much as she saw the person went out from the car. The regulars wore different reactions when they saw the person. Especially, Ryoma. He felt like hitting a twist serve to the person who had just appeared in front of them, approaching Sakuno and Sumire.

It was Christopher Von Lloyd Finsbury Kishida.

The blonde boy kissed the girl's hand and her cheek much the latter's embarrassment. The boy also kissed Sumire's hand as a sign of respect. The tennis prodigy was gripping his hands which were inside his pocket at that time trying to suppress something inside him.

"Thank you for taking care of my Sakuno, Obaa-san." Chris said to Sumire looking at the latter.

"It's nothing young man; she's my granddaughter after all." She replied touching his shoulder.

Chris looked at the regulars as well and bowed a little, "and thank you for accompanying," he looked at Ryoma this time, "my fiancée the whole night."

Ryoma eyes darted his. He smirked as he replied, "My pleasure."

Sakuno felt a little tense when they stared at each other. They were completely aware how much they hated each other. Chris was the one to break the stare;

"Well, we need to go. We had some flight to catch on."

Sakuno looked at him, "A-are we going already?"

"We will go to Venice tomorrow morning and stay there until New Year's Day. My parents can't wait to see you again. They will be pleased to see you." Chris said while looking at her.

Sakuno nodded. So they were going to stay there for at least a week. Venice was such a good city, she felt a little excited about seeing the place but sad at same time. She was not going to spend New Year's Day with them.

"We will go then." He looked at Sumire for the last time.

Sumire hugged the girl tight, "Be careful there, Sakuno dear. I'll see you."

"H-hai."

"Merry Christmas, Ryuzaki-chan."

"Take care of yourself."

"Be sure to remember us."

"Ryuzaki-chi, if you are feeling down, just think of us. Okay."

Tomoka followed her with a hug, "I'll miss you again, you stupid girl."

She almost cried for their farewell words, "C-come on guys. It's not like I am not going to see you anymore."

Ryoma felt something like that. He didn't like it. He even hated it when the blonde boy pulled her away from them gesturing her to the car. His eyes locked on her back. _Look back. Look back at me. Stare back at me. _He chanted in his thought. Hoping the girl would look back at them… at him. His hope seemed to crush when the blonde boy opened the car and leaded her in. He was so close to look away when he noticed the moment she looked at his location. His eyes widened to see her hazel eyes staring at him. He named it.

It was fondness.

…Telling him that they would meet once again.

He thought of seeing her smile was genuinely perfect before Chris sat beside her and closed the door afterwards. The car ran afterwards leaving everyone speechless.

Eiji put his hands on top of his head and reacted, "So the antagonist took the heroine now."

"Heh, nice word you got there, senpai." Momo announced.

"Eiji! Momo!" Oishi shouted at them.

"Hai, hai." They said in unison.

Ryoma pinned his hat down as he looked away. A smirk formed his face. Eiji was right about his words. The antagonist made his way to get the heroine. And the heroine needed a hero all the time. Well, that's fine.

He's willing to act one anyway.

* * *

**Done! I know most of you, don't like Chris but I am returning him on the next chapter. Sorry guys. The story is not thrilling without the antagonist, is it? Nonetheless, I am still hoping that you will still looking forward for the next chapter.**

**Anyway, how was this chapter? Did you like this? I hope… I will never know if you don't leave a review. So please… a word is enough for me. Thank you very much… ^_^**

**Asuna Harukaze – the main character from Softenni along with five girls. She loves tennis that she even practice with a pitchfork while working. She has this problem about understanding people that ended up with strange and perverted logic things. (Like what she thought between Ryoma and Sakuno a while ago.)**

**Teito Klein – the main character from 07-Ghost. Like Ryoma he wears stoic and sternly attitude but only from the beginning of the series and change when he met his best friend, Mikage prior to the story. He had the same approach to Ryoma and Sakuno when they first met him but he expressed immediately like he needed to do. **

**About the new fic that I am going to do next year, ummm it is going to be a set of one-shots and I am using different sports in every chapter. That is what I mean, so I can give a chance to the sport that you are going to mention. The offer is still on. The more votes for the sport; the more chances I am going to write. What is the first sport that you prefer me to write next year? I am still waiting for your response. Domo… ^_^**

**I do not own Softenni or 07-Ghost. Never will. Thank you for those animes.**

**Next Chapter: You're so Close yet so Far**


	21. You're so Close yet so Far

**Hi there! I am in a panicky mode now. But I hope I could make this chapter fine.**

**Just sharing: When I wore the jersey at work they were all shocked to see me with that get up and said 'Kaw na si Ryoma' (You are Ryoma already). Tee hee hee, they were so funny. I drank Milo chocolate while wearing it (considering like Ponta) and tennis key-chain on my bag... Tell me, am I not that obsess about the anime? Hmmmm. **

**For Ryoma's B-day and Christmas fics... _Everybody IS Here_ and _Underneath the Mistletoe_ are on the house. Domo... ^_^**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Prince of Tennis. Sighed…**

* * *

**Chapter 21: You're so close yet so Far**

**Chapter Summary: She was miles away from the others while she was celebrating New Year with her parents. Everything was different in Venice without her grandmother and…**

* * *

'_I miss you_

_Been far away for far too long_

_I keep dreaming you'll be with me_

_And you'll never go_

_Stop breathing if_

_I don't see you anymore…'_

_Nickelback – Far Away_

* * *

'The floating city'… 'Undoubtedly the most beautiful city built by man' and New York Times acknowledged as one of 'Europe's most romantic cities' in the world. There was no doubt about it.

Venice was definitely the most romantic cities she ever visited. Practically, Venice was the first place she ever visited. That's why she was excited to go to places which were outside Japan. She never experienced something like this before.

"Can you please behave like a fine lady, Sakuno. You are embarrassing me." Chris who was beside her spoke and was being irritated on her behavior. They were currently cruising' the place with a ferry boat that afternoon when they arrived to the city. They explored the city which was covered with water. Cars were seldom seen from the city so people preferred to explore the place by foot or by boat. They haven't seen the Grand Canal yet much to Sakuno's curiosity. Chris had promised her that they would visit and explore the place some other time.

"G-gomen… Chris-kun. I-it's just that… I've never set foot to any country before." She looked down to hide her embarrassment. He was right after all; she was acting like a child right now.

Chris just looked at her with bewilderment, "You really are something," he said. Sakuno just blushed. She just didn't know how to start a conversation with him. He was something that she needed to be careful about. True to her words, she didn't know her fiancé that well yet.

The trip was short since it was their first day so they needed to rest. Her parents went ahead to the hotel that they were staying while Chris decided to explore the city of Italy for a while, tagging her along. They rode off the ferry and walked their way to the hotel… the Caffè Florian, one of the luxurious establishments of the city.

They entered the hotel and because it was her first time, she couldn't believe herself. The place was definitely gorgeous and extravagant. The place was for rich and famous only as she could see people that she didn't know but could distinguish how wealthy they were. Chris left her for a while and talked their language to her surprised. She could hear them but she didn't know what they were talking about.

_C-chris-kun can speak Italian… He's amazing. _She thought as she stared at him talking to the receptionist. Chris walked back to her and said;

"They said that our parents were here already. Let's meet them now." Chris announced to her.

She felt nervous when he said that. His parents were there too, they were friendly but she was still afraid to face them again, "I-Is this alright? I-I mean-" she flinched when he held her hands.

"It's going to be alright, you're beautiful." He said with assurance on his voice. She barely counted the times he became soft to her and he was expressing one right now.

She smiled at him and nodded. They walked to the hallway and reached for a room. Chris stopped her from entering and faced her. He tipped her chin and leaned closer. She was a bit tense but she didn't move. She closed her eyes tightly. Chris was going to kiss her.

_I-it's going to be alright. H-he's my fiancé so… i-it's alright. _She thought and convincing herself but some part of her wasn't following her thoughts. She waited for the kiss that he was going to give her.

He was closed to kiss her but he saw her closed her eyes… tight. He was a bit shocked when the girl did that. He didn't take actions for a while but decided to continue and leaned to kiss her cheek instead. He saw Sakuno's reaction of shock after he kissed her there. He knew that the girl wasn't expecting that from him. He distanced himself from the girl and gestured her inside, "Everything will be fine. Change first before seeing our parents. I'll wait for you here." he opened the door for her.

Sakuno on the other hand nodded as she went inside. She was shocked when Chris just kissed her on the cheek not to her lips. She sighed slowly and felt relieved. The boy didn't kiss her. She looked ahead only to be surprised, the room was really large and cozy. She saw the big glass chandelier above just in the middle of the room. The room was like for parties as she could see priceless gem and jewelries around her. From her position, two maids served her much to her embarrassment. They helped her changed. When she was ready, she went out and met the stunned Chris in front of her.

She was wearing a dark blue and white Tiered Pin-Tuck Dress made of smooth cotton and chiffon that covering her knee length. Also chiffon, cravat, sleeves, waistbelt and brooch were detachable but she was wearing them all. The dress was also designed with double layer chiffon trimmings and out layer open front with prints and lace lines. Her hair was down with curly locks. She was wearing a blue ribbon at the back of her head that fits to her dress.

"A-am I… okay?" she blushed.

Chris blushed a little as he coughed and walked to her, "You look stunning I say," He offered his arm and said, "let's go, we wouldn't want them to wait any longer."

"U-un," she said shyly while inserting her hand to his arm and walked together, reaching for the room where their parents were waiting.

**xxx**

They entered a large dining hall that Sakuno never ceased to amaze herself. Everything felt unbelievable for her. Food were catered and served by elegant waiters who were cooking on the spot. Chris led her at a large table where her parents were with his parents talking to each other. The four elders stood up when they arrived.

"My dear Chris and with his beautiful fiancée," The lady with her early thirties started and kissed Sakuno on the cheek, "My, my, what a grown lady you have become. It seems like we didn't see for ages." She laughed normally making the girl blushed.

"N-nice to meet you again, A-aunt Mary, Uncle Jones," She said as she gave respect to the elders. When the two smiled and bowed, she looked at her parents and greeted them as well.

They started to eat their early dinner. There was no doubt about it, the food were delicious that Sakuno could never resist. The elders just shook their head. It was fun seeing her reaction like that as they thought.

"Sakuno is such a sweet child, isn't she?" Mary said facing her husband with his late thirties but looking gorgeous still. The elders both have blonde hair like Chris. The lady was wearing an old Victorian dress while the gentleman was on his traditional black tuxedo. Her parents were wearing their western style clothes while Chris wore his blue suit, comparing to her dress.

"She sure is," Jones said smiling back at his wife, "She is going to be a wonderful wife to our son here in the future."

Sakuno was surprised on their conversation. They were already talking about their future. It's Chris and her future to be exact. Somehow, she didn't like hearing those expectations, at least not for now. She just didn't know what to do.

"So Reina, what are you planning to do next year? I heard that it will be Sakuno's 16th birthday." Mary asked her mother.

Reina looked up to Reinja before telling them their plans, "We are holding a ball on her birthday and everyone is invited. The celebration will be held public as they will witness our little princess being a flower who's going to blossom soon."

"This is going to be big, I can say," Reinja talked, "we will make sure that the celebration will be successful."

Sakuno couldn't retaliate what they were actually talking now. She had completely forgotten about her birthday. Her birthday was approaching; the contract between her parents and her real parents was becoming stronger. Her mind was elsewhere, she didn't know if she was excited about her birthday. Something was stopping her but wasn't aware what. She flinched when a hand touched her hand on her lap. She looked to her right and saw Chris staring at her.

"It's okay. I am here." the noble boy said.

She stared at him for a while. She felt a little relieved when the boy said that to her. Still something was not right with his stare. His eyes were telling her something not to cause a scene or else she would embarrass him. She gulped secretly as she nodded. They were lots of thoughts that were invading her mind. She didn't want to feel but she couldn't breathe freely being surrounded by those people who had high expectations of her.

The dinner went well. They decided to give the travelers to rest early that night.

"Have the wonderful night's rest today, honey," Mary said kissing the girl's cheek, "Chris will tour you around Venice tomorrow."

"H-hai, thank you very much for the warm welcome," she said kissing her back, "I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Of course," she said and then turned to her mother and also gave her a peck on her cheek, "Sleep well tonight and we will talk about her birthday celebration more tomorrow."

"You are such a great help, Mary," Reina said, "Well be going then."

The couple part ways. Chris kissed her cheek before walking with his parents. Sakuno walked with her parents and went to their suite. The suite was big enough for three as they entered the room. Reina gestured her to her room and never ceased to surprise how humongous her room was.

"Good night, dear." Reina kissed her as well as Reinja.

"G-good night Mom, Dad. Thank you for today." She blushed.

"Be sure to have wonderful memories while we are here, okay." Reinja said patting her head.

"H-hai."

With that, they entered her room and changed for an evening gown. She hadn't needed maids to help her change and she was thankful that she didn't see one. After changing, she went to her bed and lied there thinking a lot of things. She remembered Ahiru and Fakir who were left behind from the mansion. It was odd that they were not there when they went to Venice. Probably the city was not that dangerous to stay. She could remember Ahiru's blushing face when she got home from that mansion last night. Something must have happened between her and Fakir while she was away. She couldn't stop herself from smiling as she thought about them. Capella was so happy to see her but sad when he learned that she was going away again. She tried to ask permission to bring Capella along but her parents declined her request this time. They said that it was supposed to be a family bonding so no outsiders included. She felt sad about Capella but she promised that she would do something for him when she came back. Then she remembered her grandma, the regulars and Ryoma. She blushed when she remembered the boy.

_What's going to happen to me when everything is out of my hand anymore? _Her eyes became soft and fluffy. _What am I suppose to do if I can't control everything? Will you tell me… _

She wasn't able to continue her thoughts as she was defeated by her own tiredness and sleepiness.

* * *

**The next morning:**

"Christopher-san!"

Chris and Sakuno looked behind them. They were about to leave to explore the city when someone called the former's name. Chris growled when he saw who was approaching them. She looked at him and to the person. It seemed that he didn't want to see the newcomer. She looked at the grand stairs at the lobby and saw a very fine lady with her beautiful pink Victorian dress. The girl had pink long hair that was loosen on its back and was wearing a hair band featuring two flowers on both sides of her ears. She was running down the stairs and looked very elegant to her eyes.

"She's beautiful." She whispered when the girl finally approached them.

The girl hugged him tightly much to the boy's surprise, "I didn't know that you were in Venice."

"M-milfie, let go." Chris said trying to get away from her, "Can't you see we are leaving."

"B-but still, you should have informed me." The girl pouted in front of them and then the girl looked at her much to her surprised. She was surprised even more when the girl suddenly approached her and held her hands tight, "You must be Sakuno."

"H-hai…" she said looking at the girl. _H-how did she know my name? S_he thought but she never said it. The girl talked again as if reading her thoughts.

"My name is Milfeulle Sakuraba, Christopher-san's younger sister."

"E-eh?" she was surprised to hear that from her. _C-chris-kun has a younger sister? B-but t-they don't look alike… a-and her name is… _train of thoughts keep ringing to her mind as she was having a hard time absorbing them.

"She's my stepsister."

"Christopher-san!" Milfeulle retorted and then she looked at her, "By the way, you can call me Milfie."

"Milfie, that's enough." Chris said glaring at the girl.

"B-but Christopher-"

"You have no right to set foot here in the first place. And don't you ever cling on to me like that ever again. You are just someone's daughter that my father bore from."

Milfeulle and Sakuno were both shocked on his words. The boy was harsh on her. He then grabbed her and left the girl in shock. Sakuno looked back at Milfeulle and saw her looking sad. The latter looked down and couldn't paint her face. She must have been hurt a lot.

"C-chris-kun, I-I think you are a bit rude to Milfie-san." She tried to talk to him.

"Be quiet. Don't you ever bring her in any conversation as long as we're here, got it?" He said.

"B-but-"

"Got it?" he repeated looking at her with his stern eyes.

Being shocked on the stare, she nodded immediately, "H-hai."

After the short incident, they explored the city once again. She had forgotten the girl as they went to the Grand Canal. They road a gondola and looked around her. They went passed through bridges and saw beautiful landmarks and buildings around them. It took several minutes before getting off the traveling boat. They went to different places after that. It was too much that she couldn't remember the other places that they went.

**xxx**

The week was tiring for her but she enjoyed it. They went to different places such as Piazza San Marco and the very famous Louis Vuitton for jewelries. Chris bought her an expensive silver necklace much to her denial but the former insisted.

'This is my Christmas gift for you.'

She remembered him said that. The necklace was priceless and she was afraid to wear the jewelry now. They also went to a museum to view beautiful artifacts about Venice. Glasses were very common in the city but it served as the city's asset for the tourists who would go and visit the place. On December 30th, they went to Pisa, Venice neighboring city which was 6 hours ride by train. A ride of four hundred kilometers was not easy but she enjoyed seeing the leaning tower of Pisa. It was already night when they arrived back to the hotel. She never saw Milfeulle again and she had been wondering what had happened to the poor girl. She thought that she could talk to the girl. Milfeulle looked like a nice and kind girl to her.

"You seem to be enjoying a lot, Sakuno." Reinja said when Chris took her back to their suite and left afterwards. The girl blushing as she nodded.

"Tomorrow will be exciting. We are going to welcome New Year's in some high place in the Grand Canal where we could see a great view of fireworks." Reina said as she looked at her husband.

Sakuno felt excited about tomorrow. But she felt something was missing. She was not that happy and she hated to admit it.

She missed everyone at Seigaku. And she was not going to welcome the New Year with everyone.

* * *

**December 31****st****, New Year's Eve in Seigaku:**

Any minute by now, they would be welcoming the New Year in their backyard. The regulars had decided to welcome New Year's Day together on top of a hill together with their coach along with Tomoka and the trio. They could see several fireworks that lit up from the sky. And the regulars started lighting their fireworks as well. Eiji began swinging his firework making everyone sweat dropped. Momo did the same thing and battled with Eiji. Oishi tried to stop them but the two wouldn't seem to stop. Kawamura became brandishing his firework and began chasing the others. He could've mistaken the firework to his racket. Tomoka and Horio were at the bell shrine praying. Horio stole a kiss from Tomoka's lips earning him a reflexive punch. Horio fell back on the ground. The others looked at them and laughed on the show.

"Baka! I told you not to surprise me like that. You stupid!" Tomoka began rampaging but she went near him.

"Why? Is it wrong to kiss my girlfriend? You should be used to it now." Horio retorted. He felt embarrassed already. He felt like being a teaser for a while since it would be the end of the year. When Tomoka grabbed his hand, he pulled her down and grabbed her nape with his other hand, locking her there so that he could kiss her for the second time.

Tomoka's eyes widened. Her boyfriend was never this bold before. She could see different reactions from their senpais, even Kachiro and Kastuo were blushing on Horio's actions. She let him kiss her for a while before giving him another exposable punch.

"YOU ARE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE SITUATION, YOU JERK!"

Everyone laughed really hard.

"Nice move you got there Osakada-san" Momo said.

"There goes our little Horio flying." Eiji said placing his hand on top of his eyebrows and looked at a distance where Horio was animatedly sent away.

They continued laughing. Tezuka, Kaidoh and Ryoma were there but not saying anything. Fuji and Inui were talking about something while looking at the others.

"Na, Echizen. Come and have fun with us." Momo said approaching the boy.

Ryoma who was drinking his ponta replied, "No thanks."

Momo wouldn't allow him and grabbed him on his neckline, "Oh no, you will come and join us."

"Senpai! Hey! Let go!" he struggled as he was being dragged by his senpai. In the end, he lighted a firework by force but seemed to be enjoying it afterwards. He smirked when they played a small game like whoever lights worn off first would be the loser and the firework who survived would be the winner.

Ryoma won of course, "Mada Mada Dane, senpai-tachi."

"Ah! No fair, let's have another round nya." Eiji dared and played all night. They waited until midnight.

**xxx**

Ryoma walked a bit far away from them. He went to the hill where he could see some fireworks being displayed above him. He looked up at his watch. Five minutes before midnight. Five minutes before New Year's Day came. He felt odd and he somewhat knew why. He secretly looked behind him. He could see everyone but someone was missing. His senpais were there as long as his coach. The trio were there too and the loudmouthed girl was there as well bickering with her boyfriend as usual.

Yap. Someone was definitely missing.

He looked back to the scene as if thinking something deeper that he didn't notice someone approaching him.

"Ryoma." The person tapped his shoulder making him flinched a little.

"S-sensei." He looked up at his coach who was staring ahead like he was doing.

"You miss her too, don't you?" Sumire asked him.

His eyes widened when she asked him that. He pinned his hat down and said, "I don't know what you are talking about?"

"I can read you, Ryoma. You look like a son to me just like I treated my granddaughter as my own," Sumire sighed, "I miss her so badly. She's the only family that I have."

He didn't reply to her words. It's not just he didn't intend to say anything; he just didn't know what to say. He noticed how hard for his sensei to be away from her granddaughter. He didn't know when but he was beginning to pay attention to his coach now, maybe because she was _her_ grandmother.

"Ah," Sumire reacted catching his attention as she yanked her cell phone in her pocket, "I forgot I need to call someone," She searched for a number, "I have a favor to you Ryoma. Could you talk and surprise this person for me. It's my friend and we haven't talked for a while." She gave the phone to him and before he could protest she interrupted;

"Please, just give my friend a call and just say my name. That person would be delighted." Sumire pleaded.

Ryoma looked at his coach. He had a questioning look on his face before looking down at the phone. It was a roaming number. That means her friend was overseas. He sighed as he pushed the call button and brought the phone to his ear. He really didn't know what to say but he would follow what his coach was telling him. The phone was ringing for three times before a voice suddenly heard from the other line making his eyes widened.

'Hai, Obaa-chan?'

He didn't talk as he was trying to recover from the shock... a little shock anyway. He looked at his coach with another questioning reaction. Sumire was smiling and nodded to him.

'Hello?' the other line talked once again when he didn't talk.

He closed his eyes as he spoke, 'Ryuzaki-sensei said she misses you.'

**xxx**

Her eyes widened when she recognized the voice. _R-ryoma… kun. _She thought as she blushed really hard. It was her turn to be quiet. She didn't know what to say to him and why was he holding her grandmother's cell phone.

'Are you still there?'

'E-eh? H-hai.' She said and then someone tapped her and looked at the person.

"Who is that?"

She looked away from the earpiece a little, "I-It's Obaa-chan. D-do you want to talk to her?" she asked Chris who was beside her. She regretted about asking him to talk to her grandmother. What if he agreed?

"No it's okay. Take your time talking to your grandmother. I'll be just right here." he said distancing himself to her.

"H-hai," she said and felt relieved when he said that. She remembered the boy so she talked once again, 'S-sorry about that. C-chris-kun's with me.'

'hmmm.'

Silence erupted between them.

'H-how's everyone?'

She heard him sighed, 'Seriously Ryuzaki, you are ALWAYS asking me that.'

'g-gomen, I-I miss everyone that's why.'

'They're with me. Ryuzaki-sensei's beside me.'

'I see… everyone's there too.'

"Sakuno go over here. The fireworks are about to start." Chris shouted a little. They were in a high place in Grand Canal with their parents and waiting for the fireworks to come.

'I-I need to go now. C-chris-kun is waiting for me.'

'Don't hang up.'

'E'eh?'

'Go but don't hang up. Pretend that you are talking to your grandmother.'

'h-hai.' She responded as she walked closer to them.

'This is my payback for him the last time.'

'E-eh? W-what do you mean?'

'Stay on the phone at least _more _than twenty minutes.'

Her eyes widened once again as she heard him said that. He was telling him about the cable car incident and what had happened between them. She blushed because of that. She looked at Chris when the boy noticed her blushing. She said out of the sudden.

'I-I miss you.' and it was too late to take her words back.

Ryoma was a bit shocked when she heard him, 'who are you telling that?'

'Ummm, to everyone, To you… Obaa-chan.' she whispered the last word. She hoped that the boy would get her message and she was right.

'Ah,'

Not long before the dragon fireworks began coloring up the dark sky. Both parties could be heard their noises and greetings as they welcomed the New Year. They both watched the colorful dragon fireworks dancing in different places.

Ryoma and Sakuno's places.

'Akemashite Omedetto Guzaimasu Obaa-chan,' Sakuno said while looking above the colorful display, 'T-tell Ryoma-kun and the others, Happy New Year as well.'

'Un,' He said. Somehow, he felt a bit overwhelmed when the girl mentioned his name, 'Akemashite Omedetto, Ryuzaki.'

Like Ryoma intended to do, he talked to the girl for _more_ than twenty minutes.

* * *

**Done! How was this chapter? I hope you liked it… and there it is… ChrisSaku… err… (Was there a pairing like them? Readers will kill me for sure… waahh…) Yeah… Chris is slowly starting to show his real self… Anyway I still hope that you like this…**

**As you can notice Sakuno is starting to wear Lolita dresses, sometimes Gothic sometimes light and cute ones, it depends on the mood. I hope you can picture the way she dresses here... Thanks...**

**Milfeulle Sakuraba – the protagonist from Galaxy Angel. She is cheerful and has strong, extraordinary luck in the anime so I'll try to make her like that here… She's more than meets the eye.**

**Akemashite omedetto – Happy New Year**

**The information of Venice, Italy places are all from Wikipedia. I don't own anything and also I don't own Galaxy Angel too. Zero related.**

**Review please… I want to know… If you don't want me to lose interest about continuing then motivate me to write more… If only you know, a word from you is enough for me. I hope you understand my feelings... Domo...**

**To: Minna,**

**Akemashite Omedetou Guzaimasu!**

**From: MitsukiJunko**

**Next Chapter: Turning Off Situations **


	22. Turning Off Situations

**Hi There! I know I always update on time… I only believe that my efforts would be appreciated and paid off if I see lots of reviews of the readers of my fic. Thank you in advance. ^_^**

**A****nother Sharing: Still from my 13th month pay, I bought a Seigaku Jacket which is different from the jersey and Ryoma plushie (stuff toy?) finally, I got to hold one of him. It's my first possession of the year 2013... Happy New Year Everyone!**

**Yumi014 - Hai... Okaerinasai. I envy you going on a vacation. I stayed in my house all through Christmas and New Year but it's okay... It was worth it. **

**Tee hee hee... I know you'll hate him but I guess you'll hate him more in this chapter... and you are right he is definitely the source of Drama here. More drama scenes to come in the future...**

**Oh... I bought my jersey from a popular mall here in my country... if you are familiar with SM malls. It has anime goodies and things that are to be used for cosplaying, Yeah... and the key-chain was from another mall here as well...**

**You remembered Galaxy Angel... Yeah, I really like Milfeulle, she's cute and has pink hair that somehow it looks good on her. So I thought of bringing her in the story... and has quite a role in the future... More than meets the eye... Anyway, I hope you like this chapter... I think? ^_^**

**Anonymous 13 - tee hee hee... I understand... I am receiving one comment through Chris and that is hatred... and like you I also like the name and you are right, he's the reason for having drama scenes here...**

**You're right, Sakuno only belongs to one guy and we all know who that guy is. Thank you for liking my name, I appreciate it... I hope that you like this chapter too... (I update every Friday, PHT)**

**DISCLAIMER: Prince of Tennis is forever owned by Konomi Takeshi-sensei… Not mine.**

* * *

**Chapter 22: Turning Off Situations**

**Chapter Summary: She thought everything was going to be okay but with that 'one' mistake, everything turned upside down. **

* * *

'_Her tears were clear as crystal but not as clear as everything now.'_

_~MitsukiJunko~_

* * *

"Invitation?"

Oishi repeated their coach's words on their meeting that morning. Everyone was focused on her words but no one could retaliate after that. True that the start of New Year would bring surprises to them and those surprises were started already. Everyone came back to their senses when the coach nodded and confirmed her words;

"You are right. As you can see, my granddaughter's 16th birthday is approaching and the Kitazawa couple is inviting us to her birthday." Sumire explained, "The Kitazawa couple decided to have a masquerade ball on her birthday and it is going to be aired public."

The regulars looked at each other and created different reactions. Ryoma remained quiet as if thinking something deep but Sumire knew that he was listening. She continued;

"You guys are not actually invited."

"W-what?" Momo retorted, "What are you talking about sensei? I don't understand it."

"Y-yeah, we are invited and then we are not. What was that?" Eiji titled his head to his left.

Sumire clapped her hands twice to get their attention, "Listen to me, you are not invited because you are going to escort the girl to her dance, you are her important guests on her important day."

Everyone murmured and felt a sigh of relief, "Are you saying that we all going to dance with her?" Kawamura who paid a visit at school asked his former coach.

Sumire nodded, "In a tradition, a girl who turns eighteen of age will dance with eighteen gentlemen. The wealthy couple wanted to have the same motif but since she is only sixteen, she will only dance with sixteen gentlemen."

"Okay… that's quite… interesting… I guess." Momo said as he looked at his kouhai who didn't say anything from the start.

"Well, her birthday will be next week so we will visit the mansion for practicing. We will have the line ups of gentlemen when we get there. We will go there tomorrow after practice." Sumire announced.

"Hai!" they said in unison.

* * *

**Next Morning:**

Everyone except Tezuka and Ryoma sweat dropped when they saw the mansion that afternoon. The Kitazawa was definitely rich as they could see the evidence just outside the 'house.'

"Ryuzaki-chan is wonderfully rich, I can't believe it." Momo commented.

"You are actually seeing, daydreamer." Kaidoh just whispered his words but Momo still heard it.

"What did you say Mamushi?"

"Hey, hey, guys, we're in someone's house. You should behave." Oishi said stopping the two.

Not long the fine lady appeared from the stairs and met them. The girl was wearing her casual house dress that looked like an evening gown for them, "Thank you for accepting our invitation, Sumire-obaa-san."

"It's nothing, Reina-san; I won't miss the chance seeing my granddaughter on her birthday." Sumire said.

"Well, she will be out in a minute, but for now let's go to the garden and have some tea." Reina announced as she started to lead the way.

Everyone followed her to a hallway. Their eyes looked everywhere and spotted interesting paraphernalia inside the mansion. Large chandeliers, hanging pearls and diamonds, priceless vases and pots could be seen everywhere. The marble floor was designed clearly and shiny. The mansion was almost like gold in their eyes.

"H-hey, isn't that Capella-kun?" Kawamura noticed a five-year old sweeping the floor while a large maid was watching him do the chore. Everyone was shocked at him doing chores at such a young age. Ryoma stared at him as he gripped his hand in his pocket.

"Right, you met him before," Reina answered, "He is our youngest manservant here and guarding Sakuno is one of his tasks.

"Isn't he a bit young to do any necessary work?" Fuji asked the lady making her flinched a little.

"I guess that is beyond questioning my boy," Reina answered, "And please don't ask more personal questions."

"Hai… Gomen." The tensai said but he could sense that something was not right. The question was not personal and everyone knew about it. The lady was hiding something much for their wondering. He looked at Tezuka and he knew that the captain was thinking the same thing.

**xxx**

They arrived at the garden and saw how big it was. Reina introduced them to their butler named Hayate and the lady left them for a while. Hayate talked to them first before calling Ahiru to bring the food.

"Ahiru-chan!" Eiji was delighted to see the maid. He ran up to her and gave her a tight hug, "I am so glad to see you."

Ahiru blushed as she tried to say her words, "E-e-eiji-san, please… l-let go of me."

"Eiji! Stop harassing Ahiru-san. You're frightening her." Oishi warned his doubles partner.

"Yeah, I could see Fakir-san staring at your direction." Fuji said as he looked at the other side of the area and saw the bodyguard not far from them.

"Nya, Ahiru-chan is so cute, I can't blame Fakir-san if he likes her." Eiji said sticking his tongue to them still not letting Ahiru go.

Ahiru blushed on Eiji's words. She couldn't make a comprehension between them. Soon after Eiji released her and attacked the food instead. Momo started digging but Ryoma was looking somewhere else while holding his tea but not hoisting it up.

"Are you looking for her now?"

Ryoma looked at Sumire who talked. He frowned a little, "I am looking for whom, sensei?"

"Just go straight to the point and answer me Ryoma, I know that you are looking for Sakuno."

Everyone was grinning when they saw their kouhai's reaction.

"We will see her later so there's no need to look for her." Ryoma retorted as he closed his eyes. He could hear Momo saying 'so young, so young' but he ignored it.

They continued eating and after a couple of minutes. Reina appeared once again and gave the line up.

"These are the lists of the gentlemen who are going to dance with Sakuno." Reina told them. Sumire looked at the lists and scanned them.

"You are all here; there are other five people that I don't know."

"Five," Oishi counted, "We are nine in total and I guess Mr. Kitazawa will be included and that makes us ten… who is other person?"

"Her fiancé of course, she will have the last dance with him." Reina announced.

They secretly looked at their kouhai whose hat was pointed down. Ryoma was staring nowhere as he thought. _Ryuzaki will have her last dance with him. _

Momo peek at the list and saw something, "Look Echizen, you're the fifteenth person who's going to dance Ryuzaki-chan."

He looked at his senpai when he heard that. He was the fifteenth person… the second to the last? He didn't know if he was happy about his announcement or not. Surely, he didn't like being second at all. Not in any competition that was. He looked down again and retorted, "che."

"Well, let's go to the venue. Sakuno is already dancing with Chris that's why I ask you to go here first."

The regulars blinked twice as they heard her. If there were already dancing, what were they doing there? Were they supposed to watch them and see how the routine would go? The questions were remained unanswered as they started to walk and followed the fair lady.

* * *

**Later on:**

As she opened the door, amber eyes immediately saw her there. Dancing gracefully at that moment when Chris turned her around in a circular motion. He caught that perfect sight as that was the last step of their dance as the music stopped. Both of them bowed to each other as the blonde boy lifted her right hand with his left hand. From her standing position he finally got to observe her.

She was wearing an Alice Lolita Poker Dress which was made by smooth cotton. The neckline was embroidery laced. There were detachable three frills patch in front while there were shapes of card drawn just at the bottom of her skirt. The dress was just around her knee level and paired with white semi-heeled shoes. Chris paired her dress as he was wearing an all white business-like suit. Chris seemed to notice them and was the one to greet the newcomers.

"So, the guests are here now."

Sakuno looked at the door when the blonde boy turned his head towards it and saw all her Seigaku friends and her grandmother, "O-obaa-chan, minna. I'm glad you came." She blushed as she approached the team.

"Wow, Ryuzaki-chan, you look beautiful in that dress." Momo said looking at her.

Sakuno blushed as she looked down, "T-thank you. I-it was Ahiru-chan who picked this dress for me."

"Ahiru-chan is really good at picking a dress,"Eiji said and looked at his kouhai, "right, Ochibi?"

Ryoma tilted his head a little when he heard his 'nickname'. He accidentally looked at her. Sakuno was blushing. He pinned his fila hat down, "un."

Everyone snickered except Tezuka, Kaidoh and Chris who was a bit annoyed. Ryoma just ignored them.

"I'm tired," Chris looked at their DI and said, "Teach them all the steps make sure that they don't make mistakes."

The dance instructor bowed respectfully to them. Chris looked at Sakuno, "I'll rest for a while and be back later. Behave, Sakuno."

She flinched on his last words. She considered his last words as warning. She slowly nodded, "H-hai."

Chris gave them a glance before walking to the door. Sakuno followed him until he disappeared from the other side. She sighed slowly as she looked down.

"Well, he's gone now." Fuji said breaking the tense between them.

"I guess he's so hard to please." Inui commented.

Eiji walked to her and put a hand on her shoulder, "Are you okay?"

She looked at him and then to everyone. It seemed that they were worried about her, "H-hai, don't worry about me. H-he's always like that," she closed her eyes and smiled, "I get used to it by now."

Claps stopped them from wondering thoughts. The DI announced that they should start practicing now. Everyone created sweat drops except Fuji and Tezuka. They started practicing according to the number of list. Momo danced well as instructed. Inui talked all through the dance lessons earning hits from the DI. Kawamura, Kaidoh and Eiji blushed a different shade of red.

"I never dance with a girl before." Eiji commented while blushing.

"I-I don't know how to dance too, senpai," Sakuno blushed too, "I-I just learned today."

Oishi apologizes to the DI whenever he made mistakes. Everyone sweat dropped on his action although, the slips was not that severe to notice. Then, it was Fuji's turn to dance. Being the genius and all, dancing was just a piece of cake for him. The same goes to Tezuka who danced gracefully with her.

"I don't dance."

They heard their kouhai retorted at the corner. She was still dancing with the captain when they heard him say that.

"Hey, that's why we are practicing," Momo said tapping his shoulder, "I don't know how to dance too."

Ryoma looked at him with a sternly reaction, "Heh, that's why you could dance gracefully out there."

"What's happening to you? Don't tell me you don't want to dance with Ryuzaki-chan?" Momo said earning a little shock from him.

"And her fiancé is doing his best to make this dance perfect." Eiji said.

Hearing that from him made the youngest regular member twitch a little. But he never said anything. The DI called Ryoma for the last practice. He hesitantly approached the dancing pair and replaced Tezuka. They never said a word while they dance. The boy didn't dance actually, he was thinking something else and because of that he earned a hit from their trainor.

"Pay attention guys, you are going to dance an heiress. So don't let her parents down." The dance instructor said to everyone when the session ended. Everyone replied with a 'yes' from their trainor.

**xxx**

"Onee-chan!" Capella ran to her place followed by Ahiru and Fakir who walked behind the boy. They were all in the garden next to her room. The practice was long over and decided to spend some time with her before going home.

Sakuno stood up from her chair and approached the little boy. The boy hugged her when she kneeled down. She giggled, "How are you? Are you done with your chores?"

Capella grinned on her, "Hai, Kraehe-san said I could see you now."

She pinched the little boy's cheek, "Glad to hear that."

"Uhmm, mistress, you shouldn't crouch like that or you'll leave dirt on your dress." Ahiru said approaching the two.

"Mistress, please stand up." Fakir said reaching out to her.

Sakuno looked at him before accepting his hand and stood up, "T-thanks."

Fakir looked at them, "Everyone please have a little snack that my mistress prepared for you." he said while Ahiru looked behind her and noticed more maids holding two trays of food that they were holding.

Momo and Eiji eyed those delicacies in front of them. Oishi noticed them so he hit them on the head.

"Where are your manners you two?"

Sakuno giggled, "Please help yourselves."

"This is like… our dinner already." Eiji stared at the food being prepared for them. Sakuno just giggled on the acrobatic player's reaction.

"Ne, Ryuzaki-chan, this place is pretty big for a house." Fuji commented.

"Yeah, I was surprised to see how big this is. Although, we know that you are living with the second wealthiest family in Japan." Kawamura said to her agreeing upon Fuji's words.

"You easily get lost here, don't you?" Ryoma said this time, earning a blush from the girl. Momo hit him hard, "What was that for?"

"You yourself don't have manners Ochizen, mataku." Momo said.

Sakuno blushed while looking down, "Um, R-ryoma-kun's right… I-I still lose my way in this house. I-I'm very thankful to Fakir-san, Ahiru-chan and Capella-kun for escorting me back," she then looked at Hayate who was peeking at the entrance of the garden, "and for Hayate-san as well."

Hayate bowed as he sweat dropped. He was getting used to honorifics that she was calling him. Hayate watched them talking. _The mistress feels at home when she's with them._ He stared at her who was talking to her grandmother now. He was pretty absorbed about watching them.

"You seem to be having fun here my beloved fiancée."

Everyone was shocked to see Chris suddenly appeared behind Hayate. The butler almost jumped when he heard the noble guy behind him. When recovered, he bowed as respect but the noble just shoved him away. Chris walked to her and looked at the guests. There were people that he didn't like to see and he looked at them, to Capella and Fakir.

"You," He pointed at Fakir, "You shouldn't be meddling with our special guests here. Go back to your post or whatever."

Fakir was flabbergasted at the treatment he was receiving. He was furious inside but he controlled himself. He bowed himself and was about to take the leave when Capella appeared in front of the two.

"L-lord Chris," the little boy said making the others shocked on his actions. The boy spread his arms while standing in between Fakir and Chirs, "F-fakir-onii-chan is Sakuno-onee-chan's bodyguard. P-please don't send him away."

Chris snapped on the little boy's actions. He suddenly slapped the boy in front of him making everyone react. Sakuno covered her mouth in shocked. Ryoma glared at the situation while the others wore suspicious looks. Fakir stared at the noble but he couldn't do anything. Ahiru approached the boy who started to cry.

"S-stop please, Lord Chris," Ahiru said looking at the blonde boy while hugging the poor boy, "H-he's just a boy. I-I'll take responsibility for their mistakes."

Chris glared at Ahiru, "You should be, I won't punish you but Mr. Meyers will."

The maid's eyes widened when she heard the name that he mentioned. She was stunned but she couldn't react. Chris' smirk widened when he mentioned the maid's weakness. He just loved torturing the low classes in the area.

Sakuno felt the tense around her and she didn't like it. She felt the need of butting in and bring the tense down and ease the atmosphere. Ryoma saw her move and before he could stop her, the girl already ran to her fiancé and confronted him.

"C-chris-kun, don't blame them. I-I ask them to join us." Sakuno blocked her body between them. Fakir and Ahiru were shocked on her actions as well as the regulars and her grandmother.

"Sakuno." Fuji and Tezuka could notice the tense from their coach's voice.

She was worried about her granddaughter.

"You know that they are not one of us. You should level yourself and make friends with nobilities not with the commoners."

Sakuno didn't like what he said she accidentally raised her voice a little, "The one you are calling commoners are my friends. Don't you dare talk to them like they are some kind of disgusting people. I am a commoner if you have forgotten about that."

Everyone was shocked on her words. No one could retaliate on her words and even Chris was shunned to his position. He thought it was over but she was not finished yet;

"They're my friends Chris-kun. D-don't embarrassed them."

"They don't deserve to be your friends, Sakuno. and to correct you, you WERE a commoner. You are a Kitazawa now, an heiress and have a bright future with me. Pick someone who deserves you better." Chris retorted still not recovering from the tone she used to him.

Sakuno leaned closer to him and she clasped both of her hands in front of her, "I-I can't have a bright future is someone is ordering me on what to do," she blurted out her feelings and it was too late to take them back now, "You said I should pick someone who is better well, that's not you. If you don't like my friends then you don't like me at all. Our relationship is just for public anyway."

Eyes were widened, especially to Chris. He didn't expect that Sakuno could say something like that to him. She was mad for the first time and she was panting a bit. When she realized what she had said, her eyes suddenly widened too and quickly covered her mouth. The blonde boy was staring at her with unreadable expressions. She felt that it wasn't getting any good. She walked a step backward.

"G-gomenasai… I-I didn't-"

"The party is over now, thank you for coming everyone." Chris suddenly said stopping Sakuno in the process. The blonde boy's expression couldn't read by anyone but they new that it was something that they wouldn't like.

Oishi was about to say something but Sumire stopped him on the shoulder. Sumire walked ahead and talked;

"We will take our leave now thank you."

Chris didn't say anything and Sakuno didn't turn around to them. Her head was bent down and Ryoma could see the way she gripped her hands into fists from her sides.

Without saying a word, the regulars started to walk away entering the hallway. Sumire bowed to Ahiru and then took a glance to her granddaughter. Ryoma didn't leave his post until Momo tugged him to walk away. He was still staring at the pig-tailed girl before turning his back on her completely. He didn't see how the blonde boy grabbed the girl's arm and dragged her inside.

**xxx**

It was all a mistake. She felt of protecting her friends but doing that would put her in an awkward situation. Whatever she did back there was something the boy didn't like. They went inside her room and Chris closed the door behind them. Everything was fast for her.

Chris turned to face her earning a hard slap from him. That was the second time someone hit her. She looked at him with a shocked on her eyes.

"You're such despicable, woman. You embarrassed me in front of your so called 'friends.' How dare you." Chris almost yelled at her. His eyes were fierce and furious. He was really in a bad mood.

The first time she saw him like that.

"I-I'm really sorry, Chris," she took a step backward, "I-I didn't know what I was sayin-"

"SHUT UP!"

She flinched when he shouted. She felt scared now as she saw his reaction. He was gritting his teeth at that moment. Chris jumped on her and grabbed her one braided hair and pulled her closer;

"You don't know me when I get mad. So don't make me, Sakuno." He stared at her sternly. She felt like crying from the stare he was giving her.

"Be careful on what you say next time, especially when we are in public."

His gripped from her hair was hurting her but she tried to nod. She was shocked when the blonde boy brushed his lips on hers rudely… making her feel pain and swollen from them. It was their first kiss… with her fiancé and that was not what she wanted. She tried to struggle but the boy wouldn't let her. The boy was not finished yet. From his pocket, he yanked a pocket knife while the boy was busy kissing her rudely. He pushed her and cut the braided hair that he was holding at the same time.

She fell back on the floor as her hair spread the half of her scalp. She looked up to see him holding the hair that he cut. His face was still unreadable and stoic. He raised his hand with the hair on and said;

"Don't go beyond my way or you'll get what you want," Chris let go of her hair as she watched it fall on the ground, "You are still my fiancée, remember that." with that he turned around and opened the door. He saw Fakir just outside the door. He looked at the bodyguard sternly and said;

"Keep her lock up in her room," he said as he closed the door behind him, "until I say so. You hear me."

Fakir bowed slowly and not planning to look up until he disappeared in front of him. He was worried about the girl. He wanted to comfort her but he didn't know what to say. Just like Chris said, he guarded the door and ready for consequences if the situation asked for it.

**xxx**

Frozen from her sitting position she stared at the already closed door and then to the hair that was cut. She reached for the hair with her trembling hand. She stared at it for a long time before she realized tears were dropping from her eyes into her hair. She was crying but she was glad Chris didn't see her cry. The hair that she was keeping for long was ruined. They said that the girl's hair was the part of their lives. She felt that half of her life was drained because of that. She tried to stand and walked to the door. She twisted the doorknob but it wouldn't budge. Her tears kept falling silently.

She was locked up.

By her fiancé.

She dropped her hair on the floor and she cupped her face with her hands. She couldn't feel anything at that moment. A part of her died and she knew it. She couldn't believe that it was happening to her when her birthday was approaching.

What a memorable birthday gift that she was receiving.

* * *

**After five minutes:**

She was leaning on her study table. She didn't want to look at the mirror for she would be seeing how miserable she was. Half of her hair was spreading on the table. She was still crying and it wouldn't plan to stop for a while. No one seemed to visit her that night. Probably, the blonde boy was still there and forbid them from entering her room. What about her parents? They didn't know… maybe and probably asleep at that time. She guessed that it was alright. She wouldn't want to talk to someone right now… especially in that state. Her mind and awareness were occupied and disoriented that she didn't notice the air entered from the window which was being opened above her… above the study table. She felt that someone was touching some strands of her hair and lifted them up gently.

"Your hair is still too long,"

Upon hearing the voice, she slowly looked up to see the person in front of her. Her crying and blurry eyes widened.

He was there sitting at the bottom of the window pane, his right leg was stretched on top of the book shelf on the table while the left leg was bent and folded sideways supporting his elbow that was holding her hair, wearing his signature smirk;

"…And messy."

Her tears were still falling as she looked at him. Her vision was blurry but she could recognize the person who intruded into her room that night… after that tiring practice. She wanted to make sure after all.

"R-ryoma… kun…"

* * *

**Done! Waahhh… Surely readers are going to kill me now! But if you are going to kill me then you will never what will happen next. I know, I know this is bad. But Chris is really bad and I know you want him out… Sakuno is being coward again but hey she did protect her friends back then and able to fight back there, right? Right? She's not going to be like that forever… wait for her fight for more in the future chapters… **

**I promise, next chapter will be good. See what Ryoma will do to cheer the poor damsel in distress in my chapter.** **I hope I won't lose the readers on this fic of mine after this chapter… I really hope so…**

******How was this chapter? I'm not pretty sure about the worst scenario here… I don't want to be mean but I want to make the scene a little worse. (Indicating Chris' bad side.) I really want to know your thoughts. Write your thoughts that will make me so hard to reply and speechless. But I'll do my best to reply to you. Please, please… Onegaishimasu!**!

**NEW YEAR FIC IS OUT! -_ TeniMyu Challenge_ is on the house. Please see the challenge and have yourself CHALLENGED! If you see _them_ can you _name_ them please... Dou so it'll be fun... thanks... ^_^**

**Sorry for the grammar guys for the umpteenth time… I am NOT perfect so I always make mistakes… Pardon me… Tee hee hee… ^_^**

**Next Chapter: Don't Cry Alone**


	23. Don't Cry Alone

**Hi there! I know that I received odd reviews from my previous chapter and I kind of expecting those. As promised, this chapter is something good to the couple. Well… just read it. Thank you.**

**If last Monday I had tons of subclasses, last night I needed subclasses. Turn of events? What was that? But I felt sleepy I couldn't concentrate… good thing I didn't screw up… tee hee hee… **

**Yumi014 - tee hee hee... He's just acting bratty, since grew up at his so-called mansion. He was spoiled by his parents probably that was the reason... about that tradition, nope I did not make it, it actually happens here in our country. When a girl turns 18 she will have her celebration like that. We call it 'debut' here. Mostly the girl's first dance will be her father and the 18th gentleman will be her special one, like her Boyfriend. We also have 18 candles for girls and 18 treasured gifts. (we often have 18 wines as well.) It all happens at one celebration. It only happens once so there's no 50 or so on tee hee hee... (I didn't celebrate my debut when I turned 18. We just celebrated my 18th birthday just pretty normal.) Since Sakuno is only 16, she will have her turn. I want that part here. Her sweet sixteen, that is. **

**-tee hee hee thank you for sparing me... *sighs long* I see... I hope this is somewhat diferent though... anyway... I'll do my best...**

**-ah-ah finders keepers? lol, I was just lucky that time, the plushie was on sale when I was only planning to buy the jacket so I took that chance and bought it. There was supposed to be a necklace, that the pendant has Ryoma his initial name on it but too bad it was sold out... Better luck next time for me... I guess...**

**Guest - Yeah,... I also love Sakuno's hair too. I can't believe I (HE) did that. tee hee hee... well he is... this is the continuation of the story... I hope you like it...**

**Anonymous13 - You can guess I think... Ryoma will snap but in a natural way... It is him we are talking about... tee hee hee... **

**You know, I actually found myself smiling when you mentioned Rapunzel. Because Rapunzel really has the part here in the future... well indirectly... How? Just wait for it in the future... tee hee hee... (Ah! spoilers.) **

**DISCLAIMER: I positively, absolutely, definitely, precisely and concisely do not own the Prince of Tennis. Got** **it?**

* * *

**Chapter 23: Don't Cry Alone**

**Chapter Summary: He was there for her. He was there when she was suffering. But what he could do during her painful times? Find that out in this chapter.**

* * *

**'**_**Now I wonder what you think of me**__**  
**__**Don't know why I break so easily**__**  
**__**All my fears are armed surrounding me**__**  
**__**I can't get no sleep**__**  
**__**I keep runnin' in circles around you**__**  
**__**Are you the trap I wanna fall into?**_

_**Why am I so afraid to crash down and lose my heart again**__**  
**__**I don't know, I can't see, what's come over me**__**  
**__**Why am I so afraid to break down and lose my mind again**__**  
**__**I don't know, I can't see, what's come over me…'**_

_**~Vanessa Anne Hudgens – Afraid~**_

* * *

"Are you sure about this sensei?" Tezuka asked his coach when they bid goodbye with Hayate and gave regards to the couple. The couple was probably tired due to whole day of working that they weren't able to entertain them.

Sumire nodded, "I am sure. Although, I am a bit worried about Sakuno, I knowRyoma would do something about the tense we felt earlier." She explained. Before they completely left the premises, Ryoma suddenly remembered his hat that he forgotten in the garden and went to get it. They knew that the boy did that on purpose so that he could check up on the girl.

"I think something's not good is going to happen, I am afraid so." The tennis tensai announced making the mood tenser.

Silence erupted between them.

"I trust the boy to my granddaughter. I know that nothing bad will happen to her," Sumire said with assurance on her voice, "let's wait for him here and wait for a while." She said as they stopped at a certain block not far from the mansion.

Everyone nodded as agreement. They were all thinking the same thing. They hoped that the girl was doing fine if the youngest regular member of the tennis club were able to spot the girl inside the mansion.

* * *

**At the mansion:**

He didn't move from his position. He dropped her hair a long time ago as he only stared at her leaning on the table crying silently there. He didn't know what to do when the girl cried in front of him especially if she was experiencing something painful. He respected her sobbing there.

"W-what are you still doing here?"

He flinched a little when the girl talked. The girl was not moving from her position as well. Her head was still leaning on the table but her sob was subsiding a little weaker.

"…"

"P-please go home now. I-it's late."

"I can't." he said as shortly still looking at her shattered hair on the table.

"W-why?"

He didn't say his next words for a couple a seconds before deciding to say it a little later, "I left my tennis here."

She slowly looked at him with a frown reaction. Her eyes were still red because of crying. She was still blushing all the same, "W-what do you mean by that?"

"My tennis is here."

"R-ryoma-kun… I don't get you." tears fell on her cheek as she stared at him.

Ryoma didn't answer her making the room filled with silence once again. They both flinched when Ryoma's phone suddenly rang. When he looked at the caller ID, he immediately answered it while looking at her intensely;

"Moshi, moshi," he said, "sensei… hai I got my hat back."

She flinched when she recognized the caller. It was her grandmother. Sumire must have been worried about her.

"Ryuzaki?" He said. He flinched when he felt a hand touching his left knee. He looked at her and saw pleading reactions in her eyes. The girl was still crying and he knew what the girl was trying to tell him, "Ah, she's in her room now. She's fine… Arima-san is helping her with her things… I won't bother her anymore… Sensei, I'll talk to her bodyguard for a while so you can go without me. Hai… hai… I'll be careful. Ja."

He ended the call after that. He sighed after making that call. He lied because Sakuno was telling him to do that. She pulled her hand from his knee. The warm feeling from her touch was not there anymore, much to his disappointment. His reverie was cut when the girl talked;

"T-thank you Ryoma-kun… for covering up for me."

"Un." He said as he looked around, "May I come in?"

She was wondering why the boy wanted to come. She didn't want to see anyone especially when she was at the state. The last person that she didn't want to see her state right now was unfortunately sitting in front of her.

"Don't worry, Fakir-san and Capella saw me already," He said standing up and jumped to the floor without waiting for her reply, "I saw your bodyguard peeking at the door a while ago."

"F-fakir-san did?" she stood up and looked at him.

He nodded. He looked around the room. The place was pretty amazing in his eyes but he wouldn't appreciate the sight knowing that it was something that separated _them_ from the girl. He couldn't admit to the girl that everything changed when the girl left Seigaku but he was perfectly aware that the girl was trying to adjust to her new environment until now. He put his hands in his pocket and said;

"A caged princess, I presume."

"Stop it," she looked away and then she turned her back on him, "Y-you shouldn't be here. I-I will be in more trouble if you stay."

"…"

When he didn't say anything, the girl looked at him once again, "Ryoma-kun, please go!" she wiped her tears as she said that, "M-mou! I don't want you to see me like this." She sat on the chair once again.

Ryoma didn't say anything as he watched the girl crying in front of him. Something was stopping him from leaving and his feet were not cooperating so he just stood there. After several minutes he finally talked;

"Do you want to run away again?"

**xxx**

She looked at him with a blurry vision. Run away? The boy was asking her to run away. She wanted to do that. She wanted to go with him but another word came into her lips as she looked down;

"I-I can't, running away is not the solution here." she almost whispered her words. The truth was, she wanted to be alone and think things over. She didn't want Ryoma to see her like that… looking miserable in front of the person she admired the most. But the event was not on her side, not only seeing him like that; the prince was also inside her room.

Her room.

Her eyes widened. It was common that the boy knew where her room was. She just couldn't believe that the boy was actually there. Despite the cry, blush was also present on her face. She couldn't look at him as she continued to cry.

"Ryuzaki."

The boy suddenly called her name but she didn't look up. She gripped her hands on her Lolita cream dress, "I-I don't know why you are here but-"

She reached for a drawer and yanked something from it. She saw him flinched a little when she gave the handle of a pair of scissors. She looked at him with pleading eyes as she held her other braided hair;

"Ryoma-kun… please… please cut my hair."

Ryoma just stared at the pair of scissors in front of him. When the boy was not taking any action to grab it, she continued;

"I-I guess my hair is way too long… like you always say so," she closed her eyes letting another drop of tears fell on her face, "it's time to cut it, right?"

With that, he slowly reached for the scissors and stared back at her making assurance. Sakuno then lifted her left braided hair to her side and said; "…Onegai."

He slowly walked behind her and grabbed her hair. It was his first time touching a girl's hair well except for his mother and his cousin; the feeling was quite different. _She's been taking care of it. _He said as he stared at the silky firm touch of her hair. He grabbed the already cut side of the hair and aligned them. Guiding with the other side, he cut her braided hair. He brushed his fingers to her hair making the braided ones loosened.

The way he brushed his fingers to her hair made her feel something good inside her. The way he was touching it was so gentle and kind.

He looked at her loosened hair and noticed something; "Your hair is still long, you can have your previous hair back in no time." the length of her hair was below her scapular level so he was right.

She nodded but she didn't say anything. She grabbed her comb and fixed it. Not looking at him, he thanked the boy.

The boy was staring at her back for a while. She was been wondering why he wouldn't say anything. She was surprised when the boy suddenly grabbed her comb and did her hair himself. She blushed when the boy did that.

"Ne," he started, "I don't know anything about girl's hair. But I hope I could make you stop from crying if I do this."

She was shocked on his actions. She knew what the boy was doing there now. He probably knew what happened back then. She meant _everything_ that happened between Chris and her. Minutes later, he gestured her on the mirror which she declined first but was forced in the end. She was stunned on her reflection when she looked at the mirror. Her hair was braided once again, a single-braided hair at her back.

"That should be fine." He said pinning his hat down to hide his embarrassment.

Staring at her reflection for a while and examined herself. It was not that neat and a little messy as expected for a boy's hand who played tennis all the time. Still she appreciated his kindness. A smile formed on her lips and said, "R-ryoma-kun can also be a stylist."

"Che," he pinned his hat lower, "I'll only do that to one person. No one can not make me."

"Arigatou… Ryoma-kun, really," She looked at him with a weary smile, "y-you are always there for me." thinking about her hair and the event that happened earlier made her cry more.

Ryoma looked at her in an instant, "O-oi!"

"G-gomen, I know that you are here to cheer me up… i-it's just that," she wiped her tears with her bare hand, "I-I am scared of him. I-I don't want to make mistakes in front of him. C-chris-kun is so scary… I-I don't want to oppose s-so I-I have to obey him."

She didn't see the fierce look on Ryoma's face as she was drawn to her own feelings.

"H-he's my fiancé and I can not change it… I-I will obey him Ryoma-kun, I-I'll be good to him." she felt stupid in front of Ryoma but it didn't matter anymore. If this was the way to get rid of Ryoma, to hurt herself more of sending him away, she would do it. She was not available anymore. She had a fiancé and even though their relationship was only for public it would become real in the future anyway. So she should kill her feelings that she had for the boy as soon as possible.

She was busy thinking of painful thoughts that she wasn't aware of the hand that was holding her hand and the pathway for breath in her lungs was somehow blocking by something. What? She couldn't breathe? Was it because of her crying? No, it was something else, something that blocking her lips was the reason. Realization hit her, she snapped her eyes opened. He did it; he was blocking the air to her lungs with a kiss.

Out of surprised, she pushed him instantly, "W-what are you doing?" she looked down as she couldn't meet his eyes. Questions were invading her mind like how did the boy approach her, held her hand, touched her and kissed her without her noticing. She was losing her concentration and the boy was bringing more of it to her.

"I am _purifying_ you." He said firmly not even taking a step backward from her.

She was still looking down but she could sense the determination in his words about 'purifying' her there. There was no doubt about it, the boy saw everything. She felt his thumb and index finger on her chin gesturing it up once again. He did the motion slowly making that she was aware of what the boy was doing. She allowed him to lift her face up but she was not looking at him. Even when their lips collided once again, her eyes were still looking at the corner.

_Ryoma-kun, why are you doing this? Y-you are making it harder for me._ She looked at him this time only to see his closed eyes. The boy was kissing her gently; way different from what Chris did earlier. Another set of tears was planning to fall once again. _I-I wish I could have even just a tiny courage that you possess so that… I don't have to depend on you all the time._ With that resolve, she closed her eyes slowly and unlike what she did last Christmas… she responded to the kiss he was giving her.

**xxx**

Surprised by her response to his kiss, he went closer to her. He was not planning to end the kiss at that moment. He wanted to punch that blondie when he saw him kissing her rudely earlier but showing himself that time would put her in more trouble. He was furious when the boy cut her hair without warning. Who would do something like that to her? The blonde boy was not serious about her. And when the girl said that being there would put her into trouble would almost make him leave the room but when she looked at him with those tears he changed his mind and decided to stay a little longer that ended up in their situation right now.

He wrapped his right hand to her waist while his left hand reached to her left side of her face… only to notice something. He felt a warm liquid on his left thump finger making him to open his eyes and broke the kiss. He looked at her intensely just to see that the latter was crying once again. He sighed as he wiped her tears with his bare hand;

"Stop it, he's not worth crying." He said.

She closed her eyes, "t-then what should I do? It's impossible to oppose him. H-he's my fiancé."

"He's not your real fiancé. You still have to decide that for yourself."

"I know but…"

"Make your own decision. Don't let him control you."

"R-ryoma-kun," she looked at his golden eyes. His eyes were telling her what to do. She knew what was it but she was afraid to do it. She looked down to suppress the tears in her eyes, "W-will I able to do it w-without him hurting me? I-I know that I only have to do his way and he will be always kind to me."

He stared at her for a while. He stared how broke she was. The girl was freaking scared of that blondie.

Damn.

The girl looked fragile in his eyes. Unable to make a decision for herself, unable to move freely and unable to do things that she desired. He clenched his hands tight before slowly wrapping his arms to her slim body making the girl flinched a little. He waited for the girl to get calmed before whispering something to her ear;

"No one messes with _my_ Sakuno like this."

Her eyes widened. Did she hear him right? But the way he said his lines were somewhat a threat for her. She felt nervous because of that, "w-what are you planning to do?"

"Just wait and see." He said sternly.

That was her cue. The boy was plotting something and she didn't like the sound of that, "D-don't Ryoma-kun, please don't do anything… please." She tried to struggle from his hug but the boy didn't allow her to let go.

"Why do you keep enduring this?" he blurted out his thoughts that he kept for a while.

"Because-I-can." She said between the struggling.

"Until when?"

His question made her stop from moving. She was frozen as replacement. He was practically right. She wondered that herself. Like Chris said earlier, she didn't know how the former would get mad and she wouldn't want to know that. Thinking about that made her hair stand up.

"Until when?" he repeated when she didn't answer him.

She looked down and said, "I-I don't know… I don't know."

_She is confused._ He thought. He tightened his embrace. He never hugged a girl like this before but at that very moment, he felt that the girl needed one no matter how much she rejected him. _Since it came to this, I wouldn't mind welcoming the trouble more._ He said as he made a decision that very moment.

"If…" he started. He felt the girl gasped on his word, "If… you think that you can not take it anymore… don't you dare forget to call me."

She tilted her head a little to her right, "R-ryoma-kun."

"I'll come and _smash_ him with my twist serve." He said and meant every word. He was thinking of giving him his cyclone smash or smashing him with 10 tennis balls at one hit but exceeding his effort for him would be such a waste. _My special move is enough for him. _He thought as his signature smirk was printed on his face once again.

He felt that the girl returned his hug a little tight. The girl was warm as he thought. They were true after all, Sakuno was something to them… to him. And he would protect that something from her.

"If you're going to cry… don't cry for him," he said touching her now loosened hair and continued, "cry for something better."

She only nodded. Whatever magic he did was perfectly amazing, she couldn't cry anymore.

"Don't you dare cry alone anymore," he stared nowhere, giving a determined look before saying his next words, "I'll protect you."

This time, Sakuno buried her face to his shoulder, feeling secure in his arms. The boy had done a lot of things to her recently and she was very thankful for that, "thank you Ryoma-kun, thank you, thank you so much… thank you." _thank you for not giving up on me._ She thought last, crying the last tear of that night.

They stayed there on that position for a while before Ryoma decided to release her. As usual the girl was blushing really hard.

"I need to go, it's getting late." Ryoma said starting to walk back to the window that he entered.

"I-I kept telling you that long ago," she pouted as she calmed herself down, "Y-you shouldn't be here in the first place."

He was halfway at the window when he looked back at her and smirked, "Mada Mada Dane, Ryuzaki."

She was surprised on his words. It was his catchphrase but it sounded different from her ears. She didn't reply but smiled instead.

"mata ashita na."

She nodded her head randomly. A ray of hope suddenly filled her chest. Then she saw him jumped from the window. She leaned over to see him below, knowing that she was looking he waved his hand over his shoulder. She smiled at him and whispered;

"Aa, ja mata."

* * *

**Meanwhile:**

Fakir felt relieved when the boy visited his mistress that night. It felt that everything went well. He saw the boy left his mistress' room when he peeked at the window next to the garden. When he thought that the girl was okay now, he suddenly became worried about the maid. _She hasn't calling me from the transmitter yet. I wonder what happened to her. _He thought as he held a small device in his pocket and brought it to his face.

He tried calling the maid and after several attempts he finally got through.

"Arima? Why aren't you picking the phone? Where are you?" he said walking a little far away from the garden.

There were static replies on the other side. He could hear something but he couldn't get what it was.

"Hey, is there something wrong?"

"…"

"What-"

"Fakir-san," the girl suddenly said. Her voice was weak, "I-I'm okay… I am just tired, don't worry."

"Arima," He could sense that something was wrong. The girl was lying. He could notice her heavy breathing that she was trying to hide, "Where are you?"

"I-I am in my room now, I need to rest," she said trying to be cheerful as she could, "I'll see you tomorrow, ja."

With that, she turned off the transmitter. He looked at nowhere after the call, "she was hiding something from me. It was something that Lord Chris said to her earlier."

He gripped the small piece in his hand and headed to a location.

**xxx**

Both boys were not aware on their different dilemma that they were about to encounter. The first one was approaching while the other one was currently happening.

Ahiru on the other hand, couldn't get enough with the _chain_s that were still haunting her all these years. Secrets that she kept for long would slowly be revealing one by one and that one person was forcing her to do so. She prayed silently that _they _won't get caught. She prayed silently.

* * *

**Done! How was this chapter? Did I make it just fine? I hope you like the way Ryoma did in this chapter. (Is he Ooc? I want to know…) As most of you requested, I didn't include Chris in this chapter which I originally not to. There were mysteries at the end of this chapter. You'll find some clue on Ahiru's while the other one was… well they are going to be in the next chapter… **

**Vocab:**

**Onegai – please.**

**Mata ashita na – See you tomorrow.**

**Ja mata – see you. **

**Reviews please… Let me continue this guys… let me run more of ideas instead of out. Mitsukijunko NEEDS you.**

**I sighed easily… my PC's cooperating I hope it would last over the weekend though… I am starting to write A.C next chapter after this… Cheerio Gotta Go!**

**Mata Raisuu!**

**Next Chapter: Expecting the Unexpected**


	24. Expecting The Unexpected

**Hi there! How are you… I'm back with the new chapter… I am so pleased that you liked my previous chapter… Well… secrets are slowly revealing themselves involving someone in the process… Find that out in the future chapters… but for now… I represent to you the 24****th**** chapter of Crystal Teardrops.**

**Listening to three of Ryoma's songs _'still'_ and _'crash and dash'_ and _'last game'_... I am so obsess with Junko Minagawa's voice... sigh...**

**Mayu-chan – looks like he will… tee hee hee thank you very much… ^_^**

**Yumi014 – hai… same to you… really so I guess we only have this kind of tradition… sweet… tee hee hee.**

**I am that you like Ryoma here… yeah… I know how you feel… if Takeshi-sensei could give us a slight romance in the anime I would definitely jump with happiness… just a little will be satisfying enough for me… In the anime Major, Goro Honda/Shigeno is a baseball geek and so addicted on playing baseball like Ryoma did with tennis but unlike Ryoma, Goro has a love interest there and she was his childhood friend... and ended up marrying the girl on the final episode. (Do you know Major by the way?) I hope POT has something like that too… a little… really…**

**Really… I can quite imagine Ryoma to be like that too… I will be very happy to see him change a little well, on how I describe him in my fic that is… and I am that he is not that Ooc… **

**Tee hee hee… well the mystery is here… but I think you will a question about it… anyway I hope you like the new chapter… ^_^**

**Anonymous13 – I am glad that you like Ryoma in my last chapter. Sakuno is really lucky to have him and don't worry… she will definitely stand up for herself in the future… she wouldn't stay as the beaten forever…**

**Don't worry… you will definitely recognize Rapunzel even it's only for a short while but I know you will… trust me… ^_^**

**DISCLAIMER: I originally o- *hit by a ball by Ryoma* just kidding geez… can't take a joke for a serious matter… Okay… as I said Konomi Takeshi is no- ouch!ouch! hey! *hit by his new skill, throwing ten tennis balls at me—eh-plus one?* He owns the Prince of Tennis… not me… sighed. **

* * *

**Chapter 24: Expecting the Unexpected**

**Chapter Summary: Just when she thought it's getting good she became upset over something. How was she able to cope with everything? More enigmatic hints up ahead.**

* * *

She was surprised to see him in front of her door without warning. She told him that she was alright over the transmitter and thought that he wouldn't come and check on her. She was wrong after all. She instantly covered her body from him but it was too late to do that. The young teen went to her bed and grabbed her arm making her wince from the pain.

"How did you get this?" he asked. The marks were red but if the girl applied some ointment on it, it will be gone by the morning. Not receiving an answer from her, he took the blanket away from her to see her body. His eyes became widened to see lots of bruises all over her, "Arima, tell me what happened to you?"

She quickly pulled her arms from him and turned her head away before replying to him, "p-please, it's nothing. I-it's something that I need to be punished."

"It's about earlier, right," he saw her flinch a little, indicating that he was right, "Who is this Meyers that the lord mentioned?" he saw her tremble when he mentioned the name but she still answered;

"H-he's my master." She closed her eyes for a while and then opened them again as she looked into his eyes, "please Fakir-san, don't go any further. I-I don't want you to get involve. S-stop making yourself being involved into this."

"Why are you thinking of my safety when you are in danger yourself?"

"Because I care about you!" she suddenly blurted out her feelings to him making the two of them shocked on her words. She looked away, "I don't want you to get hurt."

"Why would I get hurt?"

_Because you are one of my precious people that they knew. _She thought but she never voiced out, "Because you are trying to know my secret." She said instead.

"Why are you keeping all the secrets to yourself when you can share them to me?" A realization hit him,

"You haven't told me everything, have you?"

"It's better for you not to know," she said before he could retort she interrupted, "at least I want you to protect Capella-kun if something bad happen to me… Capella-kun has something that proves his identity. When the time comes, ask that for him."

"I offered you my help, remember. Don't you trust me?" Fakir said holding her on her shoulder.

"But I can't risk your life or Capella's. I am doing the things that I never wanted but I don't have a choice but to follow even if it cost me my life." She looked down.

To her surprised, the young bodyguard hugged her slowly and carefully so that the pain from her body wouldn't hurt. She blushed as she called his name, "F-fakir-san, wh-what are you doing?"

"Even if you don't tell me, I'll protect you," Fakir said burying his face to her hair, "so don't say such stupid things. If you care about me then don't make me worry."

She was shocked on his words. The ever stoic, sternly non-emotional bodyguard she ever knew was slowly expressing himself to her. If they were not in an awkward situation she would be collapsing in excitement. But her own feelings were stopping her when she remembered those hitting punishment on her.

She made her decision when her master forced her to confess something. Being chained up in an isolated room from the secret passage of the mansion moments ago, his master had began hitting her with a thick whip causing her bruises that she had right now. She was also keeping a secret from her master but no matter what punishment he gave to her, she kept telling him that she didn't know. She begged to spare Capella's innocent life and torture her instead. She promised her master that she would find _them_ at all cost. _My friend, I promise I won't tell your whereabouts. I'll stand still until you finally come and get your son. _She thought and then she remembered something. There was another thing that she couldn't tell him but she could pass him a message. She pulled a little from his hug and gave him something, Fakir's brow twitched because of that. It was the transmitter he gave her before.

"I don't need this. I won't be able to update you. Please, _look_ into it," She looked at him with pleading eyes. Fakir reluctantly accepted the transmitter trying to absorb her words. Before he could say any more words, she interrupted, "p-please go now, Fakir-san. I-I don't want them to see us together. I-If you want to protect me… please leave my room already."

Fakir slowly stood up but he looked at her, "I get it. But you can not completely leave me out of this. I'll find ways on how to save you and Capella from this."

She stared at him.

"I'll see you tomorrow then." When she nodded to his words, he walked out to her room and closed the door. She was left alone again. On what the young teen said to her made her worry more. She looked down only to notice the tears that were falling down on her cheek. She smiled. How did she manage to hold them back and able to release them after the bodyguard left her room? She wiped her tears away but they kept on falling. She cried all night hoping that tomorrow would be a good day for her.

**xxx**

He left her room with clouded thoughts in his mind. He couldn't bring the pieces together. Something big was missing. Whatever it was, it had something to do with Capella. But if he asked the boy, he would be in danger so it was not a good option. He trusted the maid so far, if she was ready to talk and if she overcame her fear that would be great. He couldn't do anything until something happened or wait patiently when the girl said it to him. Then he remembered the transmitter that the maid gave him. He yanked it from his pocket and examined it. He noticed something from the transmitter. It was really small but he could recognize what it was. It was a small, thin paper folded into three. He pulled it from the transmitter and read it. His eyes widened when he read her message.

"What really are you, Arima? What is the meaning of this?" he gripped the thin paper really hard as he looked above, "How do you know that something like this is about to happen?" he wanted to confront the girl once again but it would be useless now. With the new discovery, he was certain that the girl knew something which was out of her hand. It was something that he should pay attention and it was way beyond Capella's case or something connected that he couldn't name. One thing that he knew now, he couldn't trust anyone inside the mansion. He needed to be an expert bodyguard this time. He ran to a secret place and yanked his cell phone. He dialed a number and called the person. After three rings, the person answered the call;

"Moshi moshi Fuji-san, I know its night and sorry to disturb you but…" he said gripping his cell phone hard, "I need your help."

* * *

**Next Morning:**

She was allowed to go the garden so she took a walk there and sat at the chair. She fixed her hair in a single-braided pigtail and wore a plain white dress just above knee level. That morning was refreshing for her. She could feel the wind blew to her face. She closed her eyes to feel the wind not noticing that another figure was already standing in front of her.

"I'm glad that you are okay."

She flinched when someone talked. She snapped her eyes opened and looked at the person in front of her. Her eyes widened when she recognized the person.

It was Chris. Standing in front of her, looking all bothered over something. But she didn't notice his look as fear drawn to her. She quickly stood up and tried to walk passed him, "I-I'm sorry… I-I thought I could stay for a bit… I-I'll go back no-"

She almost jumped when he grabbed her arm. She thought that he would hurt her again so she tried to struggle.

"I'm not going to hurt you, trust me."

She looked at him with surprise. That's the time she noticed his expression. The first time she saw him like that. It was the feeling of sad, upset and… regret as she could read them. She stopped struggling. The blonde boy let go of her arm when he talked;

"I'm sorry for hurting you last night. That was so rude of me."

Her eyes widened. Chris was apologizing at her. He didn't bow as a form of apology but he did apologize to her.

"I just couldn't take the fact that they are very fond of you. You showed your kindness to them but not to me."

"Y-you are wrong, Chris-kun." she said finally found her voice, "I-I show kindness to everyone, even to you."

"But I want more than that. Sakuno, I am your fiancé, I want you to love me."

She was shocked on his words. She was even more shocked when the boy went closer and touched her cheek, to her hair and then to her lips.

"I shouldn't have done those things to you like that." he said looking back at her eyes, "How am I going to make you fall in love with me when I do those horrible things to you."

"C-chris-kun I-I-" her words were cut when the blonde boy suddenly hugged her and caressed her braided hair.

"I won't hurt you again, I promise, even if I need to be good to your friends just to earn your trust and love," he said making the girl gasped in surprise, "I even compensated to your parents before I came here. I told them what I did to you last night. Of course, they were angry that's why I apologized to them. They said that they wouldn't let me see you if I don't apologize to you and make it up to you. I am willing to do anything for you to forgive me."

Sakuno was blushing really hard. She didn't know if she should believe the guy. Something was odd but somehow she felt that he was very sincere about his motive. Falling in love with him was really hard when she had someone that even her parents didn't know about. She panicked when the boy tightened his grip and said his next words.

"I love you, Sakuno. I have fallen in love with you," he closed his eyes as he buried his face to her hair, "please give me a chance to prove it to you. I love you."

She was stunned on their location. She didn't know what to say or what to do. She couldn't find the right words to say. Actually, it was her first time hearing a confession like that. It sounded so sincere despite the tremble she was feeling during his embrace. Her mind was blocked and the words that came from her mouth were only one and almost inaudible to hear;

"Okay."

They stayed in that position while they were thinking different things. Whatever it was, it wouldn't sink in together. Sakuno would only hope that everything would be okay for the both of them.

* * *

**Second day of Practice:**

Everyone was present at the mansion. Ryoma looked at the blonde boy sternly while the latter was talking to Sakuno. It seemed that the two made up and for an unknown reason, he didn't like it. A while ago, he apologized to Fakir, Ahiru and Capella much to everyone's surprised. He wasn't plan on forgiving him on what he did to Sakuno. How did the girl forgive him after that? She was really kind to everyone even to the bad guys. Because of that, he became worried for her. But hell, he was not going to admit it. Not to everyone, not to her. His eyes tightened when they started dancing.

The blonde boy wasn't aware about his stare but his senpais were. All regulars were snickering at the youngest member's back except for Fuji who was thinking something deep. He looked at a certain bodyguard and spotted him at the corner of the garden. The bodyguard just bowed at him to avoid any suspicion. On what they had discussed last night remained a mystery from everyone. He needed a smooth tactic to 'perform' it but it needed 'perfection' to do it. Being a genius doing something like that was pretty easy for him. He was going to cooperate as he decided in his mind.

Sakuno was wearing the different color of the Lolita dress that she wore yesterday. Ahiru had prepared the dress for her. Without noticing, Ahiru's bruises were transparent to her skin now. She sighed for having such a magical ointment on what she called for it.

The practice went on and went well not long before Sumire received a call from someone. She excused herself for a while to answer the call. Fuji and Inui were the only left on the table together with Ryoma and Tezuka. Sakuno was currently dancing with Kawamura and was about to replaced by Kaidoh. The others were standing and looking at the two danced. Momo started to tease his frenemy who was dancing at her earning retorted remarks back at him. Because of the noise, Momo and Kaidoh were being hit twice by the dance instructor.

"Can you be please at least gentle until the party is over." The dance instructor looked at them alternatively and sighed, "You are not getting any younger, geez."

The two sweat dropped and replied, "H-hai, gomen."

Not long before, Sumire went back to the table with a frown on her face. Fuji looked at her and asked;

"What's the matter, sensei?"

Everyone in the table looked at her waiting for her answer, "I received a call from Ryoma's manager," Everyone was shocked, something was up. She looked up at the youngest regular member of the tennis club, "Ryoma, your flight has moved back a day and needed to go on the 14th."

Amber eyes widened when he heard the announcement. He stood up and leaned across the table, "I thought my flight will be on the fifteenth?" He thought that everything was settled now that his manager took care of everything. He was planning to tell Sakuno about him leaving for the Australian Open when he got to dance with her today. But it seemed other news would be surprising her.

"There was a change of schedule. They moved the date to avoid unnecessary burdens." Sumire looked at the adjusting boy, "You will go to Melbourne on the night of 14th."

"That means Echizen won't be able to attend the ball?" Inui asked his sensei.

Sumire leaned to her seat and sighed, "I am afraid that will be the case."

Everyone remained silent after that. Ryoma thought things over and no one seemed to read him. Later on, Sumire stood up and said, "I'm going to announce the news to the DI and the Kitazawa couple."

They followed their coach to the dance floor with their eyes. She talked to the DI making the dancing couple stopped from moving. Then, different reactions were painted on their faces as they heard the news. Momo and Eiji ran to his place and interrogated him.

"I-Is it true, Ochibi? You're going to leave at Ryuzaki-chan's birthday?" Eiji said.

"What about the dance? What about Ryuzaki-chan?" Oishi who followed the two asked him.

"Of course, Tennis comes first. Echizen would go to Melbourne. He won't miss it to the world," Momo retorted, "Don't you remember that he is aiming to be the world's youngest grand slam achiever in a year and attending Australian Open is no exemption."

"I know but what about Ryuzaki-chan?" Oishi insisted.

"I know that Ryuzaki-chan would understand him. It's his dream after all." Momo said looking at the girl who never left their location.

Ryoma on the other hand just listened to their bickering reactions. He looked at her accidentally which he regretted doing so. He felt a sharp pang in his chest when he saw the girl's sad reaction. But the girl was able to hide it as soon as she approached the table and looked at him;

"I-it's alright," Sakuno said looking at her fiancé and then to him. She smiled, "I wish you good luck on the tournament."

"Un." He simply replied as shortly as that.

* * *

**Later on:**

The news got into Kitazawa's pair and went to see them in the garden. The practice was over that time and they were ready for packing up.

"I wish you good luck, young man," Reinja looked at him, "I think you can bring home the bacon with ease."

Ryoma stood up and pinned his hat down while bowing a little, "uissu."

"Well, it's so sad that you won't be able to dance with our dear Sakuno here," Reina said who was a bit disappointed with the outcome, "now we need to find you a replacement."

Replacement?

He didn't like the sound of that. No one could replace his position. Be it selfish but he thought he knew where he would place himself when it came to the braided girl. He wanted to smirk because of that.

"Sorry for the inconvenience, Reina-san, Reinja-san." Sumire said bowing a little to them.

Reinja flailed his one hand and said, "S-sumire-obaa-san, please stop. It's not your fault. It's just that the situation is out of our hands, that's all."

The coach smiled, "I guess you are right. Well, we will take our leave now, we have an hour to travel back home."

"Let our butler escort you to a car and send you home," Reina said and called Hayate. Sumire was about to protest but the fine lady stopped her, "It's getting late, take the car and they would drive you home."

"I-If you say so… Thank you then."

**xxx**

"Hey,"

Even if he didn't turn to face the person he knew who called him but due to _respect_, he still faced him. The blonde boy was looking at a distance and facing him sideways.

"What is it?"

The blonde boy said his words, "Too bad that you can not dance with Sakuno on her birthday."

He reacted but he didn't show it. Not in front of him, "it's not like I won't be able to dance with her again." He said as he closed his eyes and grabbed his bag.

"But having to dance her is like a once in a lifetime."

He didn't say a word for a while.

"I'll take care of her don't worry."

He looked at him this time and stared at him for a while, "hey,"

The blonde boy looked at him this time, "What is it?"

"Be sure you do not hurt her again… physically."

The blonde boy was shocked on his words, "what did you say?"

"She is so easy to read even though she doesn't say anything."

The blonde boy gritted his teeth and trying to suppress his anger.

"I'll be back of course with a victory in my hands," He smirked as he turned around, "ja."

With that, he left the noble teen behind. He controlled his temper for the first time. He really didn't like the boy even a bit. And he knew that the boy was feeling the same thing.

**xxx**

"M-mom, Dad." Sakuno called them when they finally left the mansion.

"Yes, dear what is it?" Reina asked the girl.

"Ummm," she fidgeted with the hem of her skirt, "about the replacement, I have someone in mind."

The two looked at each other and then looked back at her, "okay, who is this person?"

She stared at them for a while before saying her words, "w-well, that person is…"

**xxx**

The practice went on. Even though Ryoma was not going to participate he would tag along with the team and saw them dance. But he wouldn't neglect his tennis practice; he wouldn't miss it for the world. Everything went well. And it was already the day before her birthday. Chris had already left and was escorted by Droselmeye. The others were also preparing themselves to leave but Sumire thought of something;

"Ryoma, I think you should say a proper good bye to Sakuno."

Everyone was shocked on her words. Sumire corrected to avoid misunderstandings;

"I mean tell her that you are leaving for the tournament. Greet her a happy birthday or something."

They understood her words and agreed.

"Sensei's right Echizen, approach her now." Oishi said pushing him away.

"Yeah, maybe she will be your good luck charm." Momo said winking at Eiji.

Ryoma who couldn't protest proceeded on walking forward. He saw the girl talking to the DI. He feigned a cough to get their attention.

"R-ryoma-kun." he saw the girl blushed once again.

The DI excused herself so that they could talk.

"Ummm… g-good luck Ryoma-kun." she looked down as she blushed.

Ryoma stared at her. _She is really easy to read. _He thought. The girl was sad about him leaving on her birthday. Somehow he didn't want to go and stay there instead but a part of him wanted to. So he couldn't follow his own instinct. This was the first time that doubt came to him.

"Ryuzaki."

She looked up to see him.

"Advance Happy Birthday."

She stared at him and smiled afterwards, "H-hai… arigatou guzaimasu."

"I want to attend your birthday if I have the chance."

She shook her head making the boy flinched on her action, "You should go, reach for you dreams Ryoma-kun."

"…"

"I don't want to be the hindrance of reaching your goal. Win the tournament and," she said and blushed even more, "no matter where you are… I-I'll keep supporting you."

His eyes widened in shocked but returned quickly. He gave her a tiny smile and said, "I'll come back so you better come and congratulate me."

She closed her eyes after that, "H-hai… I will."

**xxx**

They watched them from a distance and everyone was smiling at the scene.

"They are a perfect couple, aren't they?" Oishi said to Momo

"They sure are." The second powerhouse player said.

"But it won't be easy for the two of them." Inui interrupted.

"Why is that?" Eiji asked the data analyzer.

Inui pushed his glasses and said, "Remember that Ryuzaki-chan has a fiancé."

"Oh… right." Everyone became silent once again. They were still looking at them and then Inui noticed that Fuji was talking to someone on the phone. When he was finished, the tensai joined them from watching. Out of curiosity, he asked to the tensai;

"Who did you talk to?"

The tensai just smiled and said making the others wondered, "Just someone who could help the star-crossed lovers."

* * *

**Done! How was it? A lot had happened here? I hope I am not confusing you… and Chris had a sudden change of attitude... hmmm... what do you think guys? tee hee hee…**

**What now Ryoma is leaving for the Australian Open on her birthday. BTW, I am following 2012 grand slam schedule here so Australian Open was on the 16****th**** but Ryoma would be leaving on the 14****th****.**

**Next will be Sakuno's birthday and I'll tell you the chapter will be very long… expect it to be long as I have lots of ideas invade my mind and I am not planning to make it into two chapters… or not? Maybe? so just brace yourself for a longer chapter next week.**

**So can you guess you will be Ryoma's replacement?**

**Again... sorry for the wrong usage of grammar such as subject-verb agreement, verb tenses, prepositions and quotations and so on and so forth... I just can't review them right away. Please bare with me... ;p**

**Reviews Please! I need motivation so that I can do the next chapter without hindrances even if I have the ideas, I need the outline to make it smooth or something… MitsukiJunko NEEDS you!**

**Next Chapter: Masquerade Ball**


	25. Masquerade Ball

**Merhaba! Evet! I'm back! I should award myself for finishing this chapter without a computer problem… tee hee hee… Anyway I hope you like this one…**

**Sakuno's Best Returning Shots? Everyone?... just click my name above tee hee hee…**

**Anonymous13 – tee hee hee… everyone despises Chris really… I can understand… I don't like him too ;p at least here in my fic… (I hated the one I crossover tee hee)… well… you will who's going to be Ryoma's replacement right… about… now… I hope you like it… ^_^**

**Yumi014 – it's okay… and thank you for stopping, reading and reviewing tee hee hee.. I really appreciate it.**

**Tee hee… really… maybe I would feel the same if I didn't make Chris a bad guy here… but oh well,… we will see in the future… I am definitely a RyoSaku fan… someone will throw at us if we don't… I could imagine Ryoma himself tossing a tennis ball in his hand really to aim… ;P**

**You will know Ryoma's replacement in a moment now… I hope you like this… ^_^**

**Sakuno's Best Returning Shots? Reply;**

**Music4Life1791 - eh? Ryoma? how come you are acting like him now... and you are right...**

**I am still a mada mada me...! I know and I always make mistakes, I can't guarantee you that you can not see a perfect or should I say ALMOST perfect chapter in each of my story... but... I am just wondering why are you the only one who sees my mistakes... maybe you sure have sharp eyes... and you love seeing them.. ;P**

**anyway... you are slight similar about your thoughts... I will write a new fic where Sakuno doesn't have a backbone at first but she will stand up for herself... because of her love... and there's a twist and kind of dark? Well... it is the same as my Crystal Teardrops... Sakuno will fight back there but in a different way... you know what I mean in the future chapters...**

**one more thing... in your A.C review... umm... really I can't believe that you are suggesting the same things that I am telling to my students every night... I feel like a student again... ugh! but I don't think I can watch any movies or series these days if you know my work I think you'll understand me... but thank you for the suggestions though... and I am always speaking in English but I don't think that's the problem. (I watched them before so I have some ideas about it.) and about the 'bare' thing that's just a typo... and thank you for pointing that out to me... I keep checking that word every time I don't know if you notice my previous chapters about it... I'll go change it now... thanks...**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Prince of Tennis. Got it.**

* * *

**Chapter 25: Masquerade Ball**

**Chapter Summary: It was her birthday… he was not there, it was her night… he was not there, it was an unexpected event… he was still not there, and it was her final, last dance with Chris, would he be there? **

* * *

**January 14, at a grand ballroom hall 15 kilometers from the mansion;**

Everyone was there, people from the land of rising sun, people from London, from America and from Venice. The hall was filled with lots of people gathering for the party. They were wearing their own gown and costume as for the theme was asking them to wear. The regulars were also there including their coach. They were wearing their own costume as well mostly like princes and dukes in courtesy of Fuji's sister's company. Sumire was wearing a gown that suitable for her age, she was almost looked like a fairy godmother if she had wings on her back. Everyone looked elegant in their eyes; they looked around hoping to spot something interesting.

Eiji having a sharp eye did notice something and pointed a girl not far from them;

"Since when did you become interested in girls Eiji," Oishi narrowed his eyes to his doubles partner.

Eiji grinned at him and said, "Since we met Ahiru-chan, that girl is really cute." He said pointing a pink-haired girl running down the stairs.

"Mataku, senpai," Momo said as he shook his hand. He looked at his direction and became eyed-wide. His senpai was right. The girl was cute indeed. They spotted a girl with pink hair wearing a hair band with flowers on two sides, "I guess, you're right."

Everyone looked at the girl running to and fro and sweat dropped. She was somewhat clumsy and she almost tripped with the waiters who were serving the guests. While busy staring at the girl, Oishi noticed something. Sumire found the vice-captain looking elsewhere.

"What's the matter Oishi?"

"I don't see Fuji and Inui around," he said and then looked at his coach, "I wonder where they are."

Sumire just shrugged, "they just around, now let's have a seat. I know they'll find us later."

Oishi just nodded at her command. They looked at a suitable table and sat there. They were all supposed to be there but a certain tennis prodigy, the youngest one to be précised had somewhere else to go.

**xxx**

Milfeulle who was wearing a blue gown arrive a couple of minutes ago. She was holding a mask on her hand and placed it between her eyes. She was looking for someone but she couldn't find the person. She was curious about the group of boys who was looking at her wherever she went. She sweat dropped easily because of that, causing her to trip a couple of times. _I can't see Christopher-san, I wonder where he is. _She thought as sad reaction painted on her cute face. When she was tired looking for the guy, she sat on a chair and rested for a while. _I guess I'll wait until the program starts._

* * *

**Outside the mansion, a few distance away:**

He was waiting for him at an isolated area. He was worried about this night. He trusted the girl on what he had given to her. He trusted what was written on the small paper. Something bad was about to happen tonight. He needed to take extra precaution and he needed someone's help and _his _help was rather risky but he was the one that he could count on.

"Sorry to keep you wait."

He was cut on his reverie when someone talked behind him, "Fuji-san," he bowed in front of the tensai, "sorry for the trouble… I don't want to put you into this as possible as I could."

The tensai smiled at him, "don't be, I'm worried about her too. If the news was true then we should make our plans," he said and then he became serious, "Fakir-san, do you know when will they move?"

The bodyguard nodded, "I asked the other bodyguards to stay on their posts."

"Good, now all we need to do is to make the plan," Fuji said and then looked behind him, "We need someone's help."

Fakir looked behind Fuji, and saw another tall man behind the tensai. He pushed his glasses to his nose and said his signature catchphrase, "Ii data."

"Aside from the three of us, some accomplices knew about this." Fuji said.

"…Accomplices?" Fakir wondered, "Who are they?"

"They will be at the ball, you will recognize them later." Fuji said.

Fakir nodded and then became serious, "we need to be careful on this. I want to make that no one notices while we execute the plan."

Fuji nodded as well. They knew that it was not an easy job. Especially for the regulars who were oblivious about the upcoming 'event.' He was beginning to worry about the situation and hoped that everything would be alright.

* * *

**Back at the mansion at the dressing room:**

Sakuno was sitting on the dresser. She was still not wearing her gown for that night. Her parents had visited her already and were very proud of her. She was sixteen already, she was not young anymore. She looked at her reflection on the mirror. Her hair was done. Lala made some magic on her hair. It was loosened at her back and some part of it was tied up and held by a sakura hair clip. Her hair length over shoulder was looking all elegant and shiny. Lala put some make up on her emphasizing her cute, angelic face. She was still wearing a robe and waited for the time to wear her gown.

"You look pretty Sakuno-san." Lala told her.

Sakuno blushed, "A-arigatou, Lala-san."

Soon someone knock on the door before entering the room. Chris appeared from the other side of the room, smiling a little. The blonde was wearing an all white outfit with chains on his chest side. He looked like a prince in a mature way.

"You look great, my fair lady." He said walking towards her, giving a peck on her cheek. He noticed her tense when he did that. He understood her. He felt guilty somehow as he remembered on what he did last time. Lala excused herself and exited the room. Chris talked to the stylist, "I won't be long, come back soon."

"Hai." Lala bowed before exiting the room.

They were alone once again. Chris gestured her to sit on the seat and he kneeled to her side.

"I hope that we could put the past behind us and start anew," he said looking at her. She was blushing when he said that to her. She was speechless so Chris continued, "I don't want you think that this gift would give you a different meaning but…" he showed a big blue box in front of her and opened it in front of her. Her eyes were shocked to see his gift.

It was a pink choker with lots of diamonds in it estimating 12 karats value each of it. Beside the choker was a pair of dangling earrings with the same karat value of diamond. She looked at him;

"C-chris-kun… t-this is too much. I-" she didn't finish her words when the noble grabbed the choker from the box and went behind her. He put the choker to her neck.

"This goes to your birthday tonight. Just wear this and you can keep it afterwards." He said staring at the mirror and met her eyes there, "Happy 16th birthday, Sakuno."

She blushed and looked down. She nodded, "t-thank you, Chris-kun."

"Well, I need to go," He said giving the box to her. "Go dress up, everyone is waiting for you to come out." With that, he slowly walked backwards and left her there.

She looked back at the mirror and stared at the choker. She touched the jewelry to her neck. She knew it was priceless; it was even more priceless than the necklace that he bought for her when they were in Venice. She put the earrings and stared at her once again. Another thought came to her forgetting the priceless jewelries that she was wearing.

_Everyone? You can not tell that everyone is waiting for me, Chris-kun, not that HE is not here. _She looked down to hold back a tear that warned to fall her face. It would ruin her make up if she did. She slapped her face lightly as she postured herself once again. _Everything will be alright, like he always says._

Soon Lala entered the room once again to have her final touch.

**Xxx**

"Yahoo! How are you?"

Milfeulle looked at the person in front of her. It was a dope prince as she named him. The guy was wearing a one-piece bloomer that looked like to a prince and a blue cape at his back. His mask was clasped to his ear so that he didn't need to hold them.

"I-is there something wrong in my face?" he bent to his right.

She blushed a little, "I-iie, I am fine, thank you." she said keeping her mask to her eyes.

"You are not lonely, are you? I can accompany you if you are." The guy with red hair said.

"I-I umm" she stuttered she didn't know what to say.

"Ah, silly me, I haven't introduced myself," He said as he extended his hand to her, "Name's Eiji, Kikumaru Eiji."

She looked at him and smiled, accepting his hand, "Milfeulle, Sakuraba Milfeulle." She felt an electric shock once their hands collided.

"Milfeulle-chan, what a nice name," Eiji said, "Nice to meet you."

"N-nice to meet you, E-eiji-kun," she said pulling her hand from him, "Y-you can call me Milfie for short."

"I like that better, Nya."

She felt her heart racing when the teen smiled at her merrily. _W-why am I acting like this? I never stuttered in front of the guy except to Christopher-san. _She thought. Her reverie was cut when someone glomped on Eiji.

"What are you doing here, senpai," the newcomer looked at her and smiled, "care to introduce your new girl friend."

"Momo-chii, meet Milfie-chan, Milfie-chan, this is Momo-chii." Eiji introduced her.

"It's Momoshiro Takeshi to you," Momo said as he stretched to shake her hand, "You can call me Momo-chan."

She sweat dropped as she nodded. Soon after she was crowded with lots of boys who seemed to be a member of a tennis club and she discovered that they were regulars from the said sport.

"Well, what are you doing here alone Milfie-san?" Oishi asked her.

"Well, I am looking for my half-brother, but I think he was not still here yet," Milfeulle announced to them.

Everyone nodded. Then Eiji broke the temporary pause, "Who's your half-brother anyway?"

Before she could reply, the emcee voiced out from the microphone and caught everyone's attention.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I know that you are all waiting for our debutant. With no further ado, let's welcome the birthday celebrant," the emcee cut his words in suspense as she gestured her hands at the stairs above, "The Kitazawa's pride, Kitazawa Sakuno."

Everyone's eyes stared at the grand staircase. From there they saw a lovely lady with an elegant pink satin lolita dress. The gown was double-layered skirt with a designed form to its left side. Her waist was covered with a dark pink sash and tied a big ribbon at its back. From her left shoulder there was an elegant ribbon emphasizing the whole gown. Her shoulder was a bit exposed because of her adjusted sleeves. The way she appeared at the top of the staircase made her gown swayed and moved like air passed her feet.

"Ryuzaki-chan looks stunning." Momo said staring at the girl from the top.

"Yeah, she is." Fuji announced who appeared nowhere.

"Where did you go to, Fuji?" Oishi asked the tensai.

"Nowhere." Fuji replied adding it with a shrug.

Not long before the regulars and the other guests stared at the person next to her. The guy held her hand and led her downstairs. They walked down gracefully. Eiji and Momo didn't like the guy beside her and they knew that the others were as well.

"C-christopher-san"

Eiji looked at the person who spoke last, "Milfie-chan?"

Milfeulle pointed the blonde boy who was beside Sakuno and recognized him, "That's him, Christopher-san, my half-brother."

Everyone eyed her with a shock on their faces. Eiji felt a pail of water being poured into his head at that moment. The acrobatic player faced the girl with curiosity;

"He is… your half-brother?"

The pink-haired girl looked at him and replied, "Yeah, he is."

They looked at her for a while trying to absorb what she had said to them.

"…Small world isn't it?" Fuji said breaking the silence between them.

Milfeulle looked at the newcomer and blinked at him, "why? What is it?" she asked him but the tensai just shrugged choosing to remain silent, not noticing Eiji glanced to a different direction.

…To Sakuno's direction.

Chris led Sakuno near the emcee and the latter gave the microphone to her. The girl looked around her and saw everyone… including her grandmother who was waving at her and her Seigaku friends. Even Tomoka was there sitting with her boyfriend and his two minions. Her parents and Chris' parents were there too. She felt a little delighted when she saw Milfeulle with her Seigaku friends. It looked like the girl made friends with them. There were people out there that she didn't know yet probably her parents invited them. Yeah, everyone was there.

…except for one.

She felt a little down at it but she shook it away before someone noticed her. She brought the microphone to her lips and greeted everyone;

"Thank you very much for coming to my special day. I hope that you will enjoy this night with me," She announced shortly and bowed in front of them, "Have a wonderful evening to all of you."

With that the music background played and could be heard through the hall. Chris separated with her so that she could entertain her guests. With some help of her parents, she met those people that she didn't know. She met the rich Sanze'nin girl and Takumi Houseld. The latter was going to dance her later but it was their first time meeting each other. Takumi was busy working with his business that he didn't have the time to practice with the dance. She also met the nice and elegant Shidouji couple. Hikaru was also her dance and was married to a very beautiful blonde lady named Maiden Heidelberg. Hikaru married Maiden at such a young age so their ages were not that far. She learned from the lady that she came from a British family while she met Hikaru here in Japan. Then the lady realized something;

"S-sorry, Sa-chan," I guess I talked a lot today." The blonde lady blushed in front of her.

_She looks cute when she blushes. _She smiled sheepishly at her, "i-ie it's okay. I'm glad to know a lot about you."

"Well, my wife is really talkative since I married her." Hikaru interrupted smiling at his blushing wife.

"A-and where did that come from?" Maiden tugged her husband. Hikaru just laughed at her action.

Sakuno just smiled at them. _They are so lucky to have each other. _She excused herself a few minutes later. She met a lot of people that night. She also entertained her grandmother and her Seigaku friends. Tons of teases were being received by them that made her blush a lot. Milfeulle was there as well. She was asked by Momo to stay with them that the former willingly obliged.

"I'm glad that you found friends here, Milfie-san." Sakuno said to the girl.

"Yeah, they are so kind." She said.

"Ryuzaki-chan, you never told us that you met a beautiful girl in Venice," Momo said grinning back at her and then to a certain acrobatic player, "Right, Kikumaru-senpai."

Eiji flinched a little when he heard his name, "Eh? Yeah… you're right."

Momo blinked, "Doushita, senpai? You looked bothered."

"Nothing? Momo-chi…" Eiji said and then went back to his old self, "Well you are right, Milfie-chan is so cute." With that he hugged the girl tight making the latter blush.

"E-e-eiji-kun!"

Sakuno and the others laughed on his action.

"Ne, senpai. Stop harassing her," Tomoka butted in and went to Sakuno and hugged her, "happy birthday, Sa-chan."

"A-arigatou, Tomo-chan." She hugged her best friend back, "I'm glad you are all here," by saying that, she felt tensed around that area. She knew why so she corrected her own words, "I-I mean, Ryoma-kun wishes me a happy birthday too… even though he's not here."

"You're right, Sa-chan," Fuji hurriedly replied to her to ease the tense, "We will support him all the way too."

"Hai." She gave her greatest smile to them. She looked cute and pretty when she did that and everyone was stunned, even the three girls including her grandmother were too. The regulars having together for the past years were probably thinking of the same thing.

They knew that if their youngest regular member saw her smile like that, he would probably remained speechless but with a slight shock or maybe, just maybe a slight blush on his face.

She entertained her guests for the rest of the night and finally the emcee announced about the dance. It was about to start. Chris went to their table and pulled her out there. He gestured her to a chair in front of the dance floor and waited for the first name of the gentleman to be called.

* * *

**Meanwhile:**

Somewhere near the mansion, though thought that it was quiet came a group of shadows lurking around the hall hiding themselves from everyone. The shadow whispered to the person;

"Is everything, ready?"

"Yeah, we are waiting for the right signal to make the plan."

The other nodded, "Alright, let's do it after the last dance. Make sure you keep your eyes on her."

The others nodded and saluted on the previous' order. Whatever it was, the night would not be easy for the people inside the hall. It would be the start of someone's doomsday. They looked at the people inside the hall and smirked when they found their target.

"Enjoy your remaining hours… while you can."

And then the night was quiet once again.

**xxx**

Her first dance was her father. Reinja was leading her on the floor as danced gracefully. The music played on the background was 'All my Life' by Kc and Jojo. Everyone eyed the dancing couple on the floor.

"You looked great, Sakuno." Reinja announced smiling down at her.

"T-thank you dad." She blushed. Reinja was such a gentleman. He was strict when it came to business but he became a funny man when they talked between meals or a parent-child get together. She was at ease with her adopted dad now.

Soon, the Emcee called the next name, "Mr. Hotori Tadase."

A beautiful blonde boy in a yellow suit with a mask went on the floor and replaced her father there. The blonde boy gave her a flower. She met Tadase twice when he attended the practice with the same number. The boy looked like a prince in his outfit and he talked with kindness. In fact, he's too beautiful to describe. She blushed as she stared at him.

"Mr. Momoshiro Takeshi."

Also wearing a mask, Momo walked to the dance floor and replaced Tadase. Momo also gave his flower to the girl.

"Yo, Princess, everyone is really staring at you now." Momo said talking to her to ease the tense.

"M-momo-senpai, y-you are embarrassing me." She blushed while looking down. Momo looked good with his blue colored duke fit.

Momo just smirked. They talked there for a while before the emcee announced the next name.

"Mr. Inui Sadaharu."

Inui replaced Momo and gave her the flower. They talked nonsense about calculations and percentage making the girl sweat drop. She couldn't retaliate his words so she ended up smiling.

"Mr. Usui Takumi."

Another Blondie approached them and replaced Inui. As soon as Takumi replaced him, Inui went back to his location. He secretly looked at Fuji and nodded. While they were busy staring at the couple who were dancing, the data analyzer carefully left the place without noticing and went somewhere else.

"Mr. Kawamura Takashi."

Kawamura then replaced Takumi. Takumi nodded and gave her hand to the former powerhouse player of Seigaku. He shyly gave the flower to her and started dancing. Kawamura was different when he was not holding his racket. Thinking about his other self made her sweat drop. They smiled at each other as they continued dancing.

"Mr. Rokujou Miharu."

The music changed when Miharu replaced Kawamura. Miharu simply wore a black suit with a mask on.

"Happy Birthday my lady," He greeted her with a smile; "Sorry about not attending the practice but I hope I can do well."

Sakuno shook her head, "its okay. I-I am not good at this either."

He smiled, "we are on the same boat then."

Sakuno blushed on his words and nodded, "T-thank you for the greetings though."

"Mr. Kaidoh Kaoru"

They danced silently as Kaidoh replaced Miharu. He remained silent all through the dance thing, not even the 'fsssh' thing.

"Mr. Kikumaru Eiji."

"You looked great nya," Eiji said as he gave the rose to her.

"T-thank you." she said. She thought that her blush would never leave her for a while. They danced merrily there until the emcee called another name.

"Mr. Hikaru Shidouji."

Hikaru joined them and Eiji gave the floor to the green-haired guy. He was wearing a mask and a blue suit that looked like a young prince. Sadly, but he reminded her of someone she _definitely _knew. They danced elegantly for a while there.

"Mr. Oishi Shuichiro."

The vice captain shyly approached them on the dance floor and gave the rose to her as he replaced Hikaru. Both of them were blushing now. He turned Sakuno for a smooth movement.

"Y-you're great at leading now, Oishi-senpai." Sakuno complimented him.

Oishi blushed back at her, "and you are good at this kind of thing, Ryuzaki-chan. Happy birthday by the way."

"T-thank you."

"Mr. Kujo Kazuya."

"I say you are really stunning today." Kujo said to her.

"I-I'll take that as a c-compliment." She looked down.

"And you stutter a lot too." He smiled.

She looked at him this time, "W-well I've been trying to work on it."

"I guess you are not trying enough."

"M-mou." She pouted making the raven laugh merrily. She smiled at his warm approach.

"Mr. Fuji Syuusuke."

The tensai gracefully walked on the floor with his prince outfit. He was wearing a blue suit paired with a feathered mask. He replaced Kujo on the floor and gave the rose to her.

"Everyone admires you now, Ryuzaki-chan." Fuji said.

"I-I don't to want to be admired this way." She looked down. She was blushing all the same.

"I wonder if Echizen was able to see you like this, he would probably have a change of heart."

She looked at the tensai still blushing, "I-I know Ryoma-kun will stay the same. I-I am too embarrassed with my own gown as they forced me to wear."

He leaned to her ear as he turned her around, "I know that he would love to see you like this."

Her eyes widened when Fuji said that.

"Be careful, I'll protect you in his place."

"E-eh?"

Before she could ask his meaning, the emcee called the next name;

"Mr. Tezuka Kunimitsu."

"Happy Birthday, Ryuzaki-chan." The tensai said before he gave her to Tezuka and left the dance floor.

Tezuka was most gorgeous prince she ever seen. He was wearing all white attire with a red rose on his chest pocket and a silver mask on his eyes. He gave her the rose on his hand and started to dance. She felt a little awkward when she danced with him. Aside from the youngest tennis prodigy, the tennis captain was also stoic and non-emotional person she ever met.

"Happy Birthday." He gave her a tiny smile.

"T-thank you, T-tezuka-buchou." _At least he could smile a bit. _She thought while blushing. After she received his infamous 'un' from him, they never spoke through the dance again.

While they were dancing, Eiji noticed something;

"Come to think of it, we never knew who replaced Echizen."

Everyone looked at the acrobatic player thinking the same thing.

"You are right. I wonder who the lucky guy is." Momo said wondering on his thought as he looked around.

"Quiet guys, Tezuka's turn is about to end we will know who's Echizen's replacement." Oishi announced to them.

The emcee looked at the list and read the name on the line. He hesitated calling the name first but he decided to call it anyway.

"Ms. Ryuzaki Sumire."

Everyone reacted when they heard a name, a girl's name to be exact. The reporters spotted the name that called walk to the dance floor. They updated every moved from her and that was unusual for her. Not only the regulars' eyes became wide but their jaws were also dropped. They also sweat dropped as they couldn't react on the event that was currently happening.

"R-ryuzaki-sensei?" Momo couldn't believe his own eyes.

"S-sensei, will dance with her granddaughter?" Oishi was shocked too but smiled a little in the end, "I guess that's not bad after all."

Everyone smiled after that short shock. Sumire replaced Tezuka on the dance floor.

"Thank you Tezuka." Sumire said facing Tezuka.

"Betsuni." He said bowing to his coach. He nodded to Sakuno before leaving the dance floor to her grandmother.

"I can't believe that you requested for me, Sakuno." Sumire said dancing with her.

"I-isn't that bad?" she asked her. Actually, only her parents and her grandmother knew about her request. She was delighted about granting her wish. They granted it because it was her birthday anyway. She was definitely happy for that night.

"This is such a weird night," Sumire chuckled, "Two girls dancing at the middle of the dance floor."

She smiled on her grandmother's comment, "I like it though," she blushed while staring at her grandmother, "I love you Obaa-chan."

"Me too, Sakuno, me too," she said and kissed her forehead, "happy birthday dear."

While the two girls were dancing, Fuji secretly walked away from the crowd without them noticing. He successfully exited the hallway and went to the balcony to exit the entire hall. He stopped when a shadow blocked his way and surprised a little. His surprised look was changed with a smile on his face as he recognized the person in front of him;

"Ah, you're here," he said walking towards the person and tapped the shoulder, "I have two favors to you, could you pass a massage to Ryuzaki-chan for me and the other thing…"

**xxx**

Ahiru looked around just outside the venue looking for something that would catch her eyes. She strictly told Capella to stay in his room albeit the latter's request of seeing Sakuno that night. She was really nervous of two things, especially of Capella's safety. She would do everything to keep the kid safe… even if she risk her life for him.

"Arima."

She flinched when she heard someone called her. She saw the bodyguard walking consciously to her. She averted her eyes for an unknown reason. She had been avoiding the knight for several nights.

"I want you to say thank you."

"E-eh?" she said facing him this time.

"I believe what you had told me. I promise that everything will be fine."

"F-fakir-san," she said and then looked away, "what if… I'm just lying about it?"

She didn't see him flinch and the silence evaded them for a while.

"If you are lying about it then you wouldn't be looking all tense right now."

She looked at him with a surprise reaction. She didn't say anything so he continued;

"Besides, you wouldn't joke about this; this is not your nature."

"I-I," she started, "I can't say anything, I am sorry."

"It's okay, you put yourself in danger already," he said reaching for her hand and put something there, "be careful, and tell me when something happens."

He walked away from her. Ahiru looked at her hand and saw the transmitter she returned to him before. He wanted to know more and he was willing to help her. He was true to his words… that he would protect them. She gripped the transmitter to her hand and called out to him;

"Fakir-san!" she said making the knight to look at her, "W-why are you doing this? Y-you shouldn't trust me like this."

Fakir closed his eyes and said, "Too late for I already trust you."

Her eyes widened as he gave her an answer but the knight was not finished talking yet;

"Have trust in me as well." with that he continued walking away from her and went somewhere else.

Ahiru was shocked on his words. He wanted her to trust him. She always did. She trusted him with all her heart. But her cowardice was holding her back. She was afraid of putting him in danger that's why she put hers first. But knowing Fakir, he would do something before she did her plans and stopped her.

"Fakir-san," She gripped the transmitter tighter as she whispered his name and then remembered something, "M-mou, he didn't answer my initial question."

She shook her head as she walked away to assist with the party. Besides, she had a lot of gifts to fix from.

**xxx**

They didn't notice the disappearance of two regulars as they were busy watching the dancing couple.

"And last but not the least," The emcee announced the next name, "Ms. Kitazawa Sakuno's last dance…"

Everyone waited for the final name to call. The regulars knew who her last dance was but they couldn't feel tenser about it.

"Mr. Finsbury Christopher Von Loyd."

Two girls looked at his direction. Sumire saw her granddaughter blush when the emcee called his name. She didn't know what the blush meant to her but she hoped that it was something better for the both of them. Chris approached them and replaced Sumire as he gave the rose to her. Her left hand was full of sixteen red roses already but she was able to hold of them in place.

"Take care of my granddaughter, will you." she said giving her hand to him completely.

"Of course, I will," the blonde boy said.

Sumire nodded as she left the two giving the dance floor to the both of them.

Chris looked at her blushing face. Her last dance was Chris. It was not _him_. Not even one of the sixteen gentlemen. _He _was not even there to put it exactly. He was nowhere to be found. She put the thought aside as the boy put his right hand to her waist and his left hand to her right hand. Holding the flowers from her left hand, they started to dance as the new music played all over the dancing hall.

* * *

**Done! Done! Done! Two things I know! First was the mystery, something might happen about it… by next week if my ideas will put through. Second was the absence of Ryoma. I know that all of you wanted him to be here, especially on Sakuno's birthday. Just let me have the ideas first. Chris was making his point here… You can kill me now and you don't see Ryoma in the future… ugh! (JOKE! He will appear in the future… I promise. This is RyoSaku for all I know… maybe you have forgotten about it. Tee hee hee)**

**How was this chapter? This was the longest chapter I have ever made, over 6,000 words. I don't know if you like it though… still I want to know your thoughts. I promise Ryoma will appear soon… So please wait for Sakuno's hero… ;P**

**I guess you didn't expect Ryoma's replacement. Tee hee hee… as far as I know I haven't seen two girls dancing on the floor when it's one's debut at least for my experience… I don't know the others… Well, I made a little change. **

**Another thing… I'll change Milfie's relationship with Chris from stepbrother into half-brother. I remembered Chris saying harsh-words to her in Venice.**

**Vocab:**

**Sanze'nin – known as Nagi Sanze'nin. The blonde, two long pony-tailed rich girl that Hayate Kanzaki serves in Hayate no Gotoku or Hayate the combat butler. She is a manga freak and a game lover. She is also somewhat spoiled and actually in love with her butler Hayate.**

**Hikaru and Maiden – Characters from A.X Defenders of the Universe in our local funny komiks. Hikaru is actually a Prince from Adenni and the main protagonist in the first saga. He meets Maiden when she suddenly shows herself to him and to his younger sister Colleen and instantly finds her pretty. As the story progresses, they develop mutual understandings with each other but couldn't express it due to shyness. But after the final battle with the Deity's twin sister they are able to express it and end up being together. In the second saga, Colleen takes care of a new mission with kids including Hikaru and Maiden's child, Aluze. (Haha, I told the story. They are my favorite couple there.)**

**Hotori Tadase – the protagonist, Amu's love interest in Shugo Chara! And also holds a king's chair in the student council. He becomes Amu's boyfriend in the later series but their relationship is put to test when another hot guy, Ikuto tries to interfere. Ikuto seems to develop feelings to Amu as well. (Actually, I've trying to think whether to put Ikuto or Hotori here. In the end, I chose Bishounen. Hotori looked like a beautiful girl though but anyway…)**

**Usui Takumi – the so called gorgeous guy in Maid-sama. He is excellent in all academic subjects and ranks number one. He teases their school student council president Misaki if he has the opportunity to do so. He develops interest towards the girl and soon they become a couple. Misaki is the main protagonist in the story and is hiding a secret to everyone and only few people know about it, even her friends don't know about her secret. Usui accidentally discovers her secret one day leading them to have a whirlpool relationship towards each other.**

**Rokojou Miharu – The protagonist of Nabari No Ou. Carefree at first but that changes when he meets Yoite and changes everything. He discovers from his teacher that he is what they called the ruler of Nabari and he doesn't know what that means. He also makes a deal with Yoite, since the latter decides to end his own life with the use of the former's power or else Yoite will kill his friends. But Miharu changes attitude towards him and prefers to take care of his life. (Yoite is Mitsuki Saiga's voice.)**

**Kujo Kazuya - one of the main protagonists in GoSick. He helps Victorique (pronounced as Victorika in the anime.) in her detective mission as the girl has talent for it. He becomes overprotective about her and promises to protect her. As the story progresses, they seem to have mutual understandings and promises not to leave each other side (More on Kujo makes the promise.) **

**Okay, that's it for the introduction. I worked up writing their role in this one. I think there will be two or three more minor characters and it will complete my C.T characters and I would go on with the story.**

**Oh and one more thing… I do not own Hayate no Gotoku or Hayate the Combat Buter, A.X From funny komiks, Shugo Chara!, Maid-Sama!, Nabari No Ou and GoSick. I will never own them… Zero-related just acknowledgement is all I have for them. **

**Reviews please… even a word will make me happy. Onegaishimasu…**

**Next Chapter: Into the Dance Floor**


	26. Into the Dance Floor

**Hi There! I am back… I guess I just love torturing the pair… I am bad I know… and I hope Ryoma-*kun* would forgive me… *get me into the story already… che* ehehehe we will see about that… *gulp* gotta go before I become **_**his**_ **hitting wall… Nyways… I hope you like this… tee hee hee…**

**Yumi014 – well… to tell you the truth, I watched them a long time ago and it is still amazing that I can still remember them. I'm not really promoting them… It's just that those are the animes that I love and I want them to share… If someone knew or interested about them that I will be very happy. Tee hee hee and I am glad that you search some of them. I really love Kaichou wa maid-sama and I hope that they will continue the anime of it… I love the progress in the manga that's why.**

**Tee hee hee… I made a slight difference about the dance. True, that a lady dances with 18 (16 for Sakuno) gentlemen in our tradition but I never heard about two girls dancing on the floor. I want to wonder. ;P**

**Tee hee hee… you are funny too… that will be the case if you bring a knife in the airport… and if you kill me you will never know my original ideas on how RyoSaku would end up in the end… and don't worry it's okay… You made me smile out there. ^_^**

**Cool so you play games… yeah… I also love games although; I played a long time ago. From playstation, I used to play Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure, Threads of Fate, Final Fantasy Series, Legend of Mana, Thousand Arms, Tales of Destiny, ummm I forgot the others… mostly RPG.**

**Tee hee hee… Yeah… like they are his minions… Thank you for the wonderful words… I hope you like this one too… I really hope… ^_^**

**Mayu-chan – As I said earlier, I really like 'Mada Mada Dane' because this is Ryoma that we are talking about and you are right about that… He is such a brat… (I hope he didn't hear me… *snicker*snicker*)**

**Tee hee hee.. really that was short? And I thought that was the longest I ever wrote. Anyway, about the Lolita dresses, I actually asked the readers of my C. T if it is okay for me to dress Sakuno in a Lolita way. If they don't like it then… I'll stick to my own ideas but since it's okay for them through PM's and reviews and THE majority wins. I decided to dress her like one. I found Lolita dresses cute when I saw Ciel Phatomhive wore one.**

**Well… like I said in my A.C… I did try… but thank you very much for suggesting those for me… I never missed watching a movie once in a while, so don't worry. **

**Anonymous13 – Tee hee hee… Thank you for liking this chapter… well, that's really sad but why not… he is a prince after all… Well I hope that you like this chapter as well… I hope? ^_^**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own P.O.T. Got it.**

* * *

**Chapter 26: Into the Dance Floor**

**Chapter Summary: She danced and danced. What shocked her was after the dance. What really happened was definitely confusing her.**

* * *

_**Flashback:**_

_Chris looked at her blushing face. Her last dance was Chris. It was not him. Not even one of the sixteen gentlemen. He was not even there to put it exactly. He was nowhere to be found. She put the thought aside as the boy put his right hand to her waist and his left hand to her right hand. Holding the flowers from her left hand, they started to dance as the new music played all over the dancing hall._

* * *

He took the lead. He danced with her gracefully on the floor. They occupied the whole floor as everyone stared at them. Chris was leading her perfectly.

'_You're in my arms and, all the world is calm_

_The music playing on, for only two_

_So close together…'_

"Look at me, stare at me." he ordered as he looked at her seriously. The girl was somewhat staring at him for a reason and he didn't what it was.

'_Romantic dreams must die_

_So I bid mine goodbye and never knew_

_So close was waiting, waiting here with you…'_

She could find a tiny bit of fondness in his eyes. She was blushing a little as she let him lead the floor. She could hear the people around her murmuring but she couldn't understand what they were saying. She held his shoulder with her left hand still where the flowers at as they continued dancing.

**xxx**

The regulars and Sumire looked at the dancing pair. Chris was taking so long to dance her. If course, he would. He was her fiancé after all and every privilege belonged to the blonde boy.

"They look great together."

The regulars looked at their coach with unbelievable reactions on their faces. Momo was the one to react;

"W-what are you saying, Sensei?" he said looking at her, "I thought, that you like Echizen for her."

"It's not my place to decide for her. True I would choose him to be her partner but we can not control the situation." Sumire said still looking at her granddaughter.

"Are you saying that they can control the situation and let Lloydie marry Ryuzaki-chii?" Eiji couldn't hold his tongue in a way that Milfeulle heard him.

"Eiji-kun… who are you saying Lloydie? Don't you like Christopher-san for her?" Milfie asked him.

The acrobatic player jerked up a little on her question.

Crap.

He forgot. This girl here was the blondie's half-sister. He scratched his head as he looked around, "w-well you see, we can not push someone like that… I think it's not… right."

"Then, what do you think is right?" Milfie asked again.

Eiji sweat dropped as he laughed awkwardly. Before he embarrassed himself more, Sumire saved him;

"Stop that. It's all Sakuno's decision," Sumire said, "Let us just hope for her happiness."

Everyone nodded. Oishi approached their coach and talked about things. While, Kaidoh noticed something;

"Sensei, where are Fuji-senpai and Inui-senpai?"

Sumire and Oishi then looked around. Sumire spoke afterwards, "come to think of it, I've never seen them after they danced with Sakuno."

"Where could they be?" Oishi asked to no particular person.

"Maybe they went somewhere, restroom or food." Kawamura suggested.

"The one who is greedy here is that one," Kaidoh said as he pointed at the second powerhouse player.

Momo glared at Kaidoh, "What did you say?"

"You heard me, idiot."

"You asked for it, mamushi."

But before they could fight, Sumire hit their heads with an empty plate that she grabbed on the table, "You two are embarrassing me. I'll let you run laps after the ceremony."

The two looked down and a bit embarrassed, "H-hai."

**xxx**

_He_ was watching them on the dance floor catching every move of her. The way her loosened hair followed the direction of the wind, the way her clothes moved in action, the way she smiled at him, the way she showed her reaction, everything… it was all clear to _him_.

She felt at peace. No worries, no fears, no trembling and no disturbances.

'_How could I face the faceless days_

_If I should lose you now?'_

What a great timing for music. It surely gave _him_ the meaning to it.

He didn't care about the people around him, even his fellow 'comrades' at the round table. He was near them but he didn't bother approaching them nor they recognize his sudden appearance… yet.

All he could care was the fine lady who was dancing with her _fiancé._ She was dancing gracefully there. It seemed that they were enjoying each company, completely forgotten someone.

He gripped his hands to his sides watching them dancing and covering almost the part of the hall because of the guy's lead.

'_To reaching that famous happy end_

_Almost believing this one's not pretend_

_Let's go on dreaming for we know we are…'_

Oh, how he hated the stare they had for each other, especially _him. _He desperately, no irritatingly waited for the other '_guy' _to make his move.

He couldn't wait forever.

**xxx**

The full song was drawing her as they continued to dance. But suddenly Chris stopped from dancing when the boy yanked his phone in his pocket which she thought was vibrating that time. She frowned a little when she saw the reaction of her fiancé. She also heard him curse in his whisper.

"W-what's wrong?" she asked him.

He looked away and buried one hand to his face, "Of all the time, why does it have to be now?"

"C-chris-kun?" she looked at him. She noticed that they stopped dancing. Everyone wore different reactions. Knowing that they were catching too much attention for not dancing, she tried to touch him again but the boy spoke;

"I am sorry, Sakuno, I need to go now."

"E-eh?" she halted from reaching him, "W-why? W-what's the matter?"

He wasn't able to answer her when the blonde boy's parents suddenly walked to the floor and grabbed him.

"We're sorry about this dear, but a serious problem occurred in England just now. And his Auntie needs him there right away." Mary faced her.

"We'll make it up to you, I promise." Jones said walking ahead of them.

"I'll see you soon, Sakuno," Chris said as he was being dragged from the dance floor feeling a little guilty about leaving her there, "and happy birthday."

"E-eh?" she reached for him but she knew it was impossible now. The song was almost over as she noticed it.

What a perfect timing.

'_So close…_

_So close…_

_And still… so far...'_

Why was she thinking that she was far away from everyone now? She felt it as she was alone on the dance floor. The music stopped as created a little reaction from the background. Finsbury clan was not there anymore but she was looking at the place where they disappeared to. She didn't know what to think.

Meanwhile, near the music station, her parents were talking on how to fix the small problem.

"Dear, do something. She mustn't get embarrassed in the middle of the dance floor." Reina told her husband.

"Wait, I am thinking," Reinja pressed his temple as he was thinking really hard. But before he could say another word someone appeared behind them, exactly located at the music station.

"I guess you need some help, Sir, Ma'am."

They looked behind them a saw a young teenager that was unfamiliar to them. The teenager was holding another CD and placed it to the player. The Kitazawa couple just looked at the teenager's move and waited. The latter talked when the CD was ready to play, "Now, it's all up to _him._"

**xxx**

She didn't know what to feel and somehow, she felt abandoned there, on the dance floor. Amazingly, that she didn't feel embarrassed even though people were looking at her now. She sighed as she slowly turned around to get into the corner but later stopped when music suddenly played in the background. She jerked up when she heard the music. She also flinched when the people around reacted suspiciously and somehow she knew where they were looking. She followed the direction of their noise only to be shocked to no end.

From the other corner of the hall, she saw a figure walking in the middle of the floor from the side, wearing an elegant prince outfit. The head was bowed low but between the mask that the person was wearing, she knew the person very well. She really knew.

The person was him.

Her eyes widened when he approached her location. She wanted to cry but she held it or the people would be suspicious if she did. She took a step forward, "R-ryom-"

"Shhh," he said raising one finger to his lips, "Don't talk," he looked at her surprised reaction on her face. He bowed in front of her while wearing his signature smirk, "Let's dance, miss."

She stared at him and shocked at the same time. He had never done this kind of thing before. It was so not him. She felt like smiling on his action and it was all new to her. She genuflected in front of him while holding the silk fabric of her gown to her right looking like an elegant girl…

At least, in front of the boy.

Thus the music started to play as the voiced of the singers could be heard;

'_Take my hand, take a breath_

_Pull me close and take one step…'_

He took her hand with his and pulled the girl closer to him. He placed his right hand to her waist while the girl placed her left hand on his shoulder with flowers that she was still holding.

'_Keep your eyes locked on mine,_

_And let the music be your guide…'_

With her hand that he was holding, he lifted her chin so that she could look at him in the eye. With that simple gesture, Sakuno started to blush but she still stared at him. With one step that he made, they started dancing… leading the girl on the floor.

They danced with the flow of music, turning the girl in a smooth action. The way he motioned her made the gown move in a beautiful way and it followed by the sway of her loosened hair. The boy was somewhat amused on what he was doing to her. They kept their eyes lock with each other.

Meanwhile, the people were watching them dancing. They felt that it was different from the other dances she had earlier. Even the regulars were quite shocked to see him here.

"S-sensei, I thought that-" Eiji was about to ask Sumire but Fuji interrupted him.

"It's all been settled so don't worry."

"F-fuji! Where have you been?" Eiji said approaching him, "care to explain all of this?"

Fuji just smiled at him, "I went to the restroom." He answered not answering the acrobatic player's second question.

Oishi approached the tennis tensai, "is this what you mean about helping the 'star-crossed lover?'

"Saa… look at them now." Fuji said as he looked at the dancing couple, "rest assured, everything is _settled_ now."

Tezuka who was quiet after dancing with Sakuno spoke for the first time, "What is happening, Fuji?"

"What do you mean?" Fuji looked back at the captain. The tennis captain didn't say a word again but he glared at the tensai. He sighed as he looked back on the dance floor. He knew he couldn't hide anything when it came to the tennis captain, "you'll know soon."

"_Fuji, I think we should go back to the dance floor before they get suspicious about us." Inui said as they planned everything and hoping that it would turn out fine._

_No, it should work or else, bad things would happened. Fuji looked at the data analyzer and then to the bodyguard and said;_

"_I'll go back to the hall and make sure they won't get suspicious about our disappearance. Inui, you stay here and calculate things over. Fakir, let Ahiru-chan go to that place and make sure she was not noticeable to anyone."_

_Two pairs of eyes blinked at his orders and then Inui retorted first;_

"_You know, you can become a bodyguard like Fakir-san here."_

_Fakir sweat dropped but he nodded. He knew that the tensai was somewhat different than the rest. He wasn't called as tensai for nothing and he had proven that title a couple of times already. _

_Fuji just smiled and started to walk away from them. He opened his cerulean eyes as he became serious. He gripped his hands tight as he walked away and whispered;_

"_This has to work. It has to."_

**xxx**

"I-I thought that… you don't dance?" Sakuno said as they continued dancing.

Looking at her seriously, he said, "I said I don't dance, I never said that I couldn't."

She smiled on his answer. He was really different today was it because he was acting a 'prince' right now? _No._ She thought as she shook her head in mind. He was a prince, if possible, her prince. Embarrassingly thought, she liked that idea. And then a realization hit her;

"M-matte, I-I thought that your flight is toni-"

"I'll tell you later. Let's just dance, and that's it." With that, they continued dancing.

'_Take my hand, I'll take the lead_

_And every turn we'll be safe with me_

_Don't be afraid, afraid to fall_

_You know I'll catch you through it all…'_

He leaded the dance once again. And since he was the prince, he could do better than her _fiancé._ He was glad that the blonde boy was not there anymore.

Luck was still on his side.

She was looking at him and saw how red the girl was as he ordered her to look at him only while they dance.

**xxx**

"The last dance was already over, why aren't you doing anything? Where's our target anyway?" a man from a distance disputed his complains as they hadn't made any action yet.

"The target's not showing yet, sire." The other one answered him, "it seemed the dance was not over yet."

"What? What a drag!" The first man walked to and fro as he made another plan, "Okay, wait for the target to go outside and execute the plan."

"Yes, sire." Everyone saluted on the first man. The man was smirking in the dark.

"Enjoy your remaining _hours_ in the world."

**xxx**

He turned her swiftly; his hand over her head making her skirt bloomed in action once again. Her heart was beating so fast. It seemed that he was competing with Chris when it came to music.

He was planning to finish the song while dancing with her.

He took another step and controlled the dance for the last time;

'_It's like catching lightning the chances of finding someone like you_

_It's one in a million, the chances of feeling the way we do_

_And with every step together, we just keep on getting better_

_So can I have this dance (can I have this dance)_

_Can I have this dance…'_

As they knew it was the cue of the ending, the other couples went on the dance floor and get readied for the next song. She heard him grunt a little as she heard a message like 'can't-they-wait-until-the-song-ends' complain from him. He let go of her waist and placed his right palm to her right palm while exchanging steps with each other on the floor in circular motion. Their eyes locked until the song ended.

'Can I have this dance

Can I have this dance…'

They slowly distance themselves apart but none of them averted their stare. When she felt that they were staring a lot, blush attacked her face and she looked down. She never realized that she was staring at him for the whole dance. And she didn't know what she looked like to him when she did that.

The floor was getting crowded and they started dancing as a new song was being played in the background. He was not done yet at least not yet, to the girl's surprised, he pulled her wrist and dragged her to the balcony.

Reinja saw what the boy did and stared at them leave the dance floor. He thought something deep and he should admit it that the young teen were creating their own chemistry. He just hoped that nothing bad would happen if another party was involved.

* * *

**At the balcony:**

He let go of her hand when they reached the place. Sakuno walked to the terrace of the balcony and stared at a distance. She put the flowers above the block. He was staring at her all the time. He was not planning to say anything until later. He heard the girl sigh;

"I-I thought that you are leaving tonight?" she said her thoughts not looking at him.

He walked closer to her and replied, "A certain tennis tensai wanted me to pass a message to you."

She faced him and frowned a little, "A- a tennis tensai? You mean Fuji-senpai?"

He nodded still staring at her, "he said that he couldn't make his promise to you."

"P-promise? What promise?" she frowned more.

"He said that he couldn't protect you in _My _place now."

Her eyes widened. She bit her lower lip as she reached for his mask, "R-ryoma-kun…"

"Don't!" he said moving a step backward. Sakuno was shocked on his action. Because she could ask the question, he interrupted, "if you take it off I will turn into a ragged teen."

"E-eh?" she blinked her eyes twice.

"Don't you dare doing that or I will force myself to leave even before the clock strikes twelve." He smirked on his words.

She giggled on his words. She understood him finally, "w-what are you? Cinderella boy?"

"che." He said… finally seeing the girl smiled, he became serious, "Happy birthday Ryuzaki."

"T-thank you Ryoma-kun," she was happy. Whatever the reason that the boy was still here, she felt overwhelmed that he came to see her on her special day. But at the same time she felt sad, she was stealing his precious time especially the time for his tennis. After a series of silent she took the courage to say her thoughts;

"Ummm, Ryoma-kun, you know that you've been a very kind friend to me when I had none; I would never make you unhappy or cause you any trouble, so…"

Ryoma blinked his eyes twice. She's right; he's her friend… a very kind friend to her. But somehow, somehow he never wanted to like be her friend. He wanted to be her…

"Please go now; it's your turn to be happy. Win the tournament and I'll see you after two weeks."

The two of them became silent. The dark place and the deafening sound around them were the only evidence that two people were staring at each other.

Or so they thought.

* * *

**At a distance:**

From the building that they were staying, a man with a binocular on his hands smirked and reported;

"Target located, we should commence action already."

"Good, set the silencer and aim at our target. Make sure you don't fail."

"Hai." The man saluted as he positioned the armor to the two people who were talking outside the balcony. The man aimed to the person with his eye and carefully examined the target's position, ready to pull the trigger.

**xxx**

He stared at her for a while before deciding to touch her hand.

The girl flinched with the sudden contact. She felt something rough and cold in her hand there. She wondered as she looked at him;

"I'll definitely see you after two weeks. I am expecting to see _this_ on you when I come back."

"R-ryoma-kun…" she blushed as the boy was staring with his golden orbs to hers. She blushed when she noticed that the boy was leaning to her. She panicked inside. _W-will this be alright? N-no one will see, right? I-it's my birthday after all… I-I… _her thoughts were clouded with confusion but she closed her eyes waiting for his kiss.

Seeing the girl closed her eyes. He smiled a little and was starting to close his' as well.

**xxx**

Running to their location, the maid was already in panic. She didn't care if something happened to her now, as long as she could reach them. She saw them in the balcony and blushed when she saw the scene, he was in the act of kissing the girl but she needed to stop them. She looked at the building next to the hall and she was not mistaken. She quickly run to their location and didn't waste a time.

"Mistress, abunai!"

With that, Ryoma opened his eyes wide. From the girl's rear angle, he saw something sparkling. Without hesitation, he pulled Sakuno on the ground making the girl shriek and at the same time they both heard a deafening and fast sound that passed by. They both looked at the wall; it created a dent of whatever hit it. If Ryoma didn't pull Sakuno from their previous location, the girl's skull would hit it. Ryoma gritted his teeth and looked at the direction where he saw the spark earlier. Then he confirmed it. He looked back to the maid and spoke;

"Arima-san, give me that!" he said as he stood up along with Sakuno who was terrified and speechless.

Ahiru tossed the broom that she was holding all the time and Ryoma caught it easily. He yanked a ball from his pocket and tossed it upward, "Yarou!" he estimated the person's location from the other building and hit the ball with the other end of the broom. The ball flew past the building and successfully hit the person's face before he could get away.

From the hall, Seigaku team together with Milfeulle and the Kitazawa couple heard the commotion. Everyone in the hall was wondering about it but they didn't ask for further understanding.

"What's happening here?" Reinja asked with a warning on his tone.

Fuji's phone rang before he could answer the gentleman, "Hai… you got him." They heard Fuji curse after receiving the call. He sighed as he faced them, "it seemed that they were only accomplices."

Tezuka approached the tensai, "It's about time that you share on what you know, Fuji."

Fuji looked at Ahiru and then nodded, "this is going to be long, Mr. Kitazawa before anything else, if you would permit me to finish the party as possible before someone could discover on what we are about to discuss."

"That would be necessary," Reinja said announcing Ahiru to inform the emcee about the sudden news to the guests.

Tezuka looked at the building next to them and saw Inui and Fakir together with the other bodyguards dealing with the people above. The other regulars followed his vision, even the still speechless Sakuno who was gripping Ryoma's shirt hard.

Eiji and Ryoma saw the next shocking situation. Their eyes widened when Fakir tried the person to stop killing the culprit's comrades and then himself with the silencer but it was too late. Eiji covered Milfie's eyes to avoid seeing them while Ryoma covered himself to Sakuno while gritting his teeth really hard. Something was going on that they couldn't picture it to happen.

"F-fuji-senpai," she looked at the tensai with fear on her eyes, "w-what is really happening? T-that person was targeting me, I knew it."

Fuji stared at her for a while but he didn't reply to her instead he touched Ryoma's shoulder and said, "Echizen, I think you should escort Ryuzaki-chan to her room now."

"B-but I want to know! I-it concerns me!" She panicked a little. They were trying to hide to truth from her.

"Please Echizen, and you still have a flight to catch."

Ryoma stared at the tennis tensai thinking something deep.

"W-why won't you-" she was cut from speaking when Ryoma suddenly grabbed her wrist.

"Let's go."

"B-but-"

"I'll explain everything of what I know," Ryoma said to her assuring that she would agree, "For now, let's think about your safety." He didn't wait for her reply as he dragged the girl out from the balcony. Reinja ordered the other bodyguards to guard them on their way.

When the two teens were gone on their spot, Fuji faced the questioning look of them who wanted to understand everything. Before they could ask the tensai, he suggested them to go to a room where they could talk privately. Ahiru and the other maid were slowly escorting their guests and visitors to exit the hall.

**xxx**

They remained silent for a while when they entered a room. Sumire wore a worried look on her face. He knew that their coach feared on what was happening to her granddaughter, as well as Sakuno's best friend. The two didn't have the chance to say goodbye to the girl but leaving worries were what left for them. Eiji escorted Milfeulle to her car before catching up with them; he too was worried about the event that happened that night.

Sumire breaking the silence finally talked, "Fuji don't keep us in suspense. Tell us what is happening?"

Reina talked for the first time after the shock, "How did you know that something like this could happen?

Fuji opened his eyes as he became serious. He didn't talk for a while but decided to say his thoughts, "I am afraid to say that Ryuzaki-chan- no Miss Kitazawa Sakuno is in danger."

Their eyes were widened in shock as they stared at the tensai who spoke.

* * *

**Done! Okay… this is it. Sakuno's peaceful life will be ruined before she entered a life that was so complicated in the first place. If you remembered from the second chapter, the Kitazawa's real daugther was killed or murdered by someone… So the history is repeating itself. But why are they targeting Sakuno? You will find that out in the next chapter? I hope? Tee hee hee…**

**Well… I did promise that Ryoma will appear soon… didn't you expect it to be THIS soon? I hope I are not shock with the sudden change of events… that is destined to happen as I originally planned it. So… more mysterious events will happen in the future.**

**Reviews please! I need to hear your thoughts… how was this chapter? The dance was okay? Imagine Enchanted's Giselle and Philips dance… I imagine their steps when they were dancing and the final step Ryoma and Sakuno did were from the Movie High School Musical 3: Senior Year. But the ending was somewhat shocking? Still I need to hear them… One word is enough for me…**

**I do not own the songs being mentioned here; So close by John McLaughlin and Can I have this dance by Vanessa Anne Hugdens and Zac Efron. I also do not own the lines from Enchanted being used here. And last but not the least, I do not own HSM3: Senior Year. Everything IS zero-related to me.**

**Can you tell me which lines from the movie that I used here? (I do not own it… ZERO-RELATED)**

**Funny thing that happened last night… I was shocked to see 'Naruto' sitting beside me… tee hee hee… I told him let's cosplay… maybe tonight there will be an 'Echizen girl' (tee hee hee just dreaming cause I am going to bring my Seigaku jacket tonight) and 'Naruto' sitting together. Whahahahah! II Data! **

**_TRIPLE TREATS EVERYONE!_ – see my name and you know what I am talking about… tee hee hee…**

**Abunai - look out or watch out.**

**Next Chapter: Picking up the Pieces together**


	27. Picking Up the Pieces Together

**HYE! Me Back again. I am so pleased to read wonderful reviews from you… Actually your words are enough for me to continue writing and updating every week. If you noticed that I haven't missed a single week of updating my stories, it's because of your unending support that you give to my fics… Thank you very much…**

**I would like to thank the readers who favorited, alerted and followed this fic of mine. I only noticed that the number of followers of this fic (which has less reviews) is greater than my Absolute Kiss (which has greater number of reviews), tee hee hee… I've been wondering about that? Hmmmm…**

**Anon – I will update really soon don't worry… and thank you very much… tee hee hee… you got me speechless there… I don't know… I know that there are great writers than me out there… and I guess that you have to find them… I still make mistakes in my grammar too… but thank you very much… ^_^**

**Mayu-chan – tee hee hee… I really love that song too… I am glad that you like it… tee hee hee I am glad that you like the way I inserted the song in the scene…**

**Yeah… I will make it like that… for a while…**

**I'll see you soon… ^_^**

**Yumi014 – tee hee hee… I am glad that I made you remember about the song… I am so in love with that song too… I also made you want to hear it again… I have that song in my cp before I can even remember…**

**Tee hee hee… I guess I am relieved from killing much… ;P Maybe some will end or the plot will be different from the ending or the story will be more complicated, well if it isn't me anymore who wants to write or to continue… tee hee hee… the ideas are all originally mine… **

**Well I used to play games and now I am kinda miss playing games again… Well, I guess that's the difference between us because my brothers like to play games as well as some of my friends… I remembered one time about fighting who would hold the joystick next after one player's game is over. That was so totally war back then… Well… we can talk something about it though… I feel lonely of not playing games these years…**

**Yeah, likewise… I feel bad about making Sakuno have that kind of life… at least for now. It feels so good to live at peace… a carefree life 24/7 doing things that you like… I mean you have all the right to do what you want to do… I am so blessed with that too…**

**Tee hee hee… yeah… actually I asked him the same thing, and you know what he replied to me? He just crossed his arms in from of him and closed his eyes but he never uttered a word… If I was Sakura I would have punch him but I was the 'Echizen girl' back then and I couldn't make a commotion inside, could I? Me too, the anime was freaking long and the problem with Sasuke is still on the line… Actually, I agree with you… I prefer Hinata to be with Naruto… I would wish that Sakura would end up with Sasuke if the future lies ahead of them that is… **

**Tee hee hee… thank you very much… I will do my very best… hope you like this chapter… ^_^ **

**Anonymous13 – tee hee hee… She will be saved for a while and for that… I guess you will find that out in a while… Mysteries will be slowly revealing one by one…**

**And yeah… Ryoma was here alright… and they danced too… anyway, I hope that you like this new chapter… ^_^**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own TeniPuri… not even in my second life… sigh…**

* * *

**Chapter 27: Picking up the Pieces together**

**Chapter Summary: Everything was slowly revealing itself, Secrets, Dangers and the purpose. Find out as the tennis tensai, the data analysis and the bodyguard explained everything to them. **

* * *

**Flashback:**

"_I am afraid to say that Ryuzaki-chan- no Miss Kitazawa Sakuno is in danger."_

_Their eyes were widened in shock as they stared at the tensai who spoke._

* * *

Reina slammed her hand on the table, "Don't joke around like that! You're not funny!" she shouted to release her anger. On what had happened earlier was not really funny. Reinja calmed his wife.

Fuji coughed to clear his throat and continued, "I am sorry Mrs. Kitazawa, I am scared to say this but I am telling everyone the truth," he looked at the fine lady and continued, "as Echizen, your daughter and her maid witness the attempted murder, it was clearly interpreted to become real."

"What do you mean by that, Fuji?" Sumire looked at the tensai, "Why would Sakuno's life be in danger?"

"Are you sure that the person was really targeting our daughter?" Reinja asked him still holding his wife in his arms.

Fuji nodded as confirmation. He yanked something in his pocket and laid it on the table around them, "I am pretty sure… it all started in this note."

Everyone leaned on the table. Sumire, Tezuka, Reinja and Reina understood the note first as it was placed right in front of them. Their eyes widened when they read the note in their mind.

**On the night of her 16****th****, her life will end.**

Momo who was impatient grabbed the note from the table when he saw their reaction. His eyes were widened as well. He read the note to everyone receiving the same reaction.

"I don't understand, i-is this really pertaining to my granddaughter?" Sumire said as she massaged her temple.

"I am afraid the note was definitely pertaining to Ryuzaki-chan."

Everyone looked at the door that opened suddenly. Inui and Fakir entered the room.

"What do you mean by that, young man?" Reinja asked Inui.

Inui pushed his glasses and looked serious, "before the shot was implemented a while ago, Fakir-san here and I were a few meters away from the culprit. We managed to let the guy confess before killing himself and his comrades."

Fakir cursed himself that they didn't manage to stop the culprit to kill themselves so that they could get more information about the silent shootout.

"There's no doubt, the number 16 here is definitely pertaining to her 16th birthday. It was not actually a riddle to solve in the first place so it was really a warning that something bad would happen on the night of Ryuzaki-chan's 16th birthday." Fuji explained to them.

Tezuka grabbed the note from Momo and examined it. He thought of something so he asked the tensai, "Where did you get this? How could be the person who wrote this so accurate?"

Fakir walked closer to them and talked not forgetting to bow, "I actually found the note in front of my door a week ago. It was carefully wrapped in plastic and tied up from my doorknob. Unfortunately, I didn't know who sent the message but it was cleared that the person warned me about the upcoming danger."

"Why didn't you tell us about this?" Reina said still furious about the event.

Fakir bowed once again, "My apologies, Reina-sama. It's just that I was not sure whether the note was true or not. I don't want to cause any false alarm just in case."

"You should've told us still!" Reina raised her voice a little, "We are talking about our daughter here. Even if it is a false alarm, you should have let us know."

"Reina stop it, what done is done." Reinja tried to stop the lady from panicking.

"H-how can you be so calm after this?"

Reinja glared at his wife, "Do you think I am calm now? Fakir did his best to protect Sakuno. She is safe now, so don't worry."

"Until when?" Reina asked him making everyone in the room feel the tense, "Her life is not safe anymore. She was in grave danger."

"What is the motive of wanting to kill her?" Momo suddenly asked to no one, "She is just merely a Kitazawa for months?"

Fuji answered him, "that's the point. Ryuzaki-chan was not a Kitazawa before. Being an instant heiress was a threat to someone."

"What are you trying to say?" Reinja asked Fuji one again. Somehow, the lord knew where the story would go.

Fuji looked at Sumire and then to the Kitazawa couple, "Before all this thing happened tonight, I asked Inui to have a background check of the Kitazawa history. We learned that the reason of losing your real daughter was because of inheritance. The person who wanted it thought that it could get it from you but the person was wrong. That person discovered lately that you gave your inheritance to a certain friend, making the former almost explode from the news. The culprit didn't know who the lucky heir of your household was until you introduced her to the world. That's where they made plans… on her 16th birthday."

Reina breathed very hard as she understood the tensai's explanations. Reinja comforted her by placing his hand at her back. The lady spoke, "W-who is this person? W-who wants my daughter dead? Are they not enough of killing my real daughter and now they are trying to kill Sakuno? Why won't they stop hunting us," Reina looked up to her husband, "Reinja, the past is still connected in the present. What should we do?"

Fuji faced the couple and asked, "with all due respect Mr. and Mrs. Kitazawa, but may we know what was the reason why the culprit gained intentions of your inheritance?"

Reinja glared at the genius teen. Fuji felt a little tense about his glare so he explained himself;

"I am afraid that it might be the reason of getting your daughter in danger. We need to know so that we can protect her."

Reinja absorbed his words very carefully. He looked at everyone before deciding to speak;

"I am not supposed to inherit this mansion since I am only adopted. But my father, the former lord of this house gave everything to me as I passed all of his expectations that he included in his papers," He said gripping his wife's shoulder as he continued, "My father had two sons, Rafael, the Royal King of Barsburg and Verloren, the Royal Duke of Seele. Verloren didn't agree about the deal and rebelled while Rafael was silently cursing inside. My father made the final decision that everything would be given to me and that's how I got this mansion. Rafael mysteriously disappeared and no one could find wherever he was. We just learned one day that he married a simple lady of district 7 and had a daughter. Their daughter was also a candidate for the inheritance but we didn't know where we could find them. They disappeared completely… away from this country."

Everyone stared at him trying to absorb what he had said to them.

"What about this Verloren?" Tezuka asked breaking the silence in the room.

"Verloren was the rebel one. I thought that he was the one who tried to steal what I have. But I was wrong. After a year that our real daughter died, we heard that Verloren was ambushed and murdered by his own enemies and evaded his land. We didn't know who his enemies were so they were not related about this issue."

"Did he have a family too?" Oishi asked who talked for the first time.

Reinja shook his head and continued, "We all knew that he had flings but he never stayed for one fling that long so it was impossible. We had the instinct that Rafael was all behind this but we couldn't find him all these years."

"Do you have other relatives?" Inui asked while writing all the information that they were hearing right now.

"We are big, young man and to disappoint you I don't know them all." Reinja clasped his hands together and propped them on his forehead, "Most of my relatives are all living in England and in France. I don't think that they are after my wealth."

"Who could have done this?" Reina looked at her husband.

Reina just closed his eyes, "I don't know Reina, I don't know."

Fakir who was listening to the whole conversation was thinking deep inside. Somehow, he could get the outcome of the conversation. He thought of the maid who gave him the note. He decided not to mention the maid's name for it would put the latter's life in danger and the kids'. That wondered him, how did Ahiru know the ambush? Did she know who the real culprit was? He wanted to ask the girl for the sake of his mistress but he needed to take an extra precaution to do that. He felt that he would be entering a big- no huge grave for himself and for the girl. He knew one thing.

Ahiru's life was in danger as well adding Capella's. The maid and the kid had something to do with this story. His eyes widened;

_C-could she be the missing heir and Capella's her son…? _he couldn't continue his thoughts he as looked away. He clenched his fist hard. _Impossible, she wouldn't be doing these things if she is. There's something missing. What could it be? _He tried to think further but he could felt throbbing pain. He knew it was useless unless he would confront the maid about the issue. His reverie was cut when Fuji talked;

"We need to protect her sire, and find the root of all this."

The couple thought hard as they locked their gaze on the ground, "This is a serious matter. My daughter's life was at stake so I will restrain her inside her room for a couple of days with bodyguards around the place," He looked at their coach and said, "I hope you would understand us, Sumire-obaa-san."

"Just promise me that she will be safe here, Reinja-san." Sumire told him with a worried look on her eyes.

"I promise, we will double the guards as possible even at nights." Reinja assured, "And I am sorry to tell you this but you are not allowed to see her for a while."

Sumire was shocked at first as well as the other regulars including Tomoka and the trio. The former looked down and replied, "I… understand."

"But you can call her anytime, if you are worried about her." Reina permitted her as she talked this time. Sumire just nodded. She would prefer that way rather than not seeing her everyday.

"Boys," Reinja called the regulars attention, "You are still young with this matter so I won't allow you to investigate more. We will continue the investigation about this case. I would like to thank you for giving us the initial report."

Fuji replied to his words, "We won't take actions but please let us help." He bowed in front of him.

"N-no this is very dangerous." Reinja disagreed.

"But- "

Fuji's plead was interrupted when Tezuka suddenly stood up and talked, "This is also important for Ryuzaki-sensei so I'll take responsibilities for my team about involving in this matter." After saying that Tezuka bowed as well making everyone shock on his actions.

Sumire was shocked too. She didn't expect that from the tennis captain. Naturally, Tezuka would reject something as dangerous as that but it was different this time. He would let his team to welcome the danger that was waiting for them. Her shock was not over when Oishi stood up too.

"I would like to help you too, she is very important to everyone of us." The mother hen said no matter how panic or nervous he was. He was followed by his doubles partner and then the rest.

The lord blinked his eyes twice. He couldn't believe it; they were sacrificing themselves because of Sakuno. He stared at them as if testing if they were serious and said, "Are you sure about this?"

"Hai!" everyone said in unison.

Reina and Reinja looked at each other and then looked back at them. Reinja sighed and talked again, "Very well, but promise me you won't take actions about this, all I need is the information about the case."

Fuji nodded; "Hai, we have the best data analyzer here." he then looked at Inui who fixed his glasses for several times already.

Reinja nodded as confirmation. He would do everything to save his daughter from danger. She had given the entire mansion a new light after 16 years and no one could ever steal that from them. Even his own relative was to be his enemy for that matter.

"Well, let's end this for now. The night is getting darker. You should return to your normal lives like nothing happened after this. I'll call some time to ask for an update." Reinja announced.

Everyone started to stand up as they readied to leave.

"Please, keep this whole thing a secret from everyone." Reinja begged them.

Fuji looked at Tezuka and then to Inui. He looked back at the gorgeous man and said, "Actually sire, there's another team who knew your history and I believe that they would be a great help to us."

Tezuka and the others except Inui eyed the tensai. Sumire asked him, "Who is this team that you are talking about?"

"Well, that team is…"

* * *

**Meanwhile, a distance away from them;**

She still doubted everything that was happening to her. Her mind was empty. No- her mind wasn't thinking clearly. She wasn't even aware that someone was actually holding her hand and dragging her for she knew nowhere. There's one thing that came to her mind.

Someone was trying to kill her.

…Who? …And why? There were questions that she couldn't answer. She didn't know what to feel right now. She didn't want to feel anything, her feelings were already complicated and she was confused already.

This was the _wonderful _birthday ever!

Due to excessive thinking, she didn't realize about the rock ahead of her and tripped. She fell accidentally letting away from the hold. She felt a slight pain at her ankle as she touched it. She was wearing high-heeled shoes and her gown was awfully big and a bit heavy.

"Troublesome shoes."

She flinched when the person spoke and crouched in front of her, she realized the person as she remembered something. She looked at his amber eyes, "R-ryoma-kun, w-what is really happening?"

He looked at her in the eye but he didn't say anything. His mask was long gone now as they started to run. Later on, he took off her shoes and turned his back on her, "climb on my back."

"E-eh?" she blushed despite her confusion that she was feeling.

"Hurry."

She stared at his back, not moving a flinch. When the boy sensed that she was not planning to move until later, he grabbed her wrist that was on her ankle and the other one putting them on top of his shoulder. Sakuno shriek at his sudden move. Seconds later, she was at his back. Ryoma stood up slowly to balance themselves avoiding to frighten the girl on his back. And then, he continued to walk.

She could feel heart beat fast because of the sudden contact. Her arms were wrapped on his shoulder allowing her to lean on them. They had been running for thirty minutes before she tripped herself. Really, 15 kilometers was not easy to run to but she was not really aware only Ryoma could count the minutes.

"Whatever happens, I'll protect you." he said alarming the girl on his shoulder. He looked to his left then to his right. He saw bodyguards around them but they didn't get close to them. They alerted the place in case of enemies and somehow, Ryoma felt secured with them.

"Ryoma-kun… y-you knew something… please, please tell me." Sakuno begged him.

Ryoma sighed as he carefully explained everything to her. About her inheritance and the Kitazawa's background check Inui did. That someone was trying to kill her for the money and the lot.

"That's all I know," He said as he knew the girl stiffened on his back, "I'll ask our senpais about the remaining details later."

"What's going on…? T-that bullet was aiming for me… i-it targeted me," she whispered on his back, "I-I am not safe anymore… right?"

Ryoma looked ahead not bothering to answer her question.

"Am I right?"

"Be quiet for a while."

"Ryoma-kun!"

"Don't talk!" he fixed his hold to the girl as he continued walking. Sakuno decided to remain silent for a while. Ryoma took a different path in order for them to reach the mansion a bit faster.

After an almost hour of walking-running, Running before Sakuno tripped and walking while she was on Ryoma's back, they arrived at the mansion. Ryoma was successfully took Sakuno into her room smoothly. He put her on her bed and went to the balcony. He told the bodyguards that everything was okay now that Sakuno was safe and sound inside her room. The bodyguards hesitated to leave at first but decided to leave not the area a few meters away from the girl's room. Ryoma closed the door and sighed hard.

He faced the girl after a minute of silence.

"Fuji-senpai talked to me before dancing with you minutes ago."

Sakuno stared at him holding her breath and waiting for his next words.

Ryoma stared back at her making sure that she was paying attention of what he was going to say next, "you are right," gripping his hands on his sides, "someone is targeting you."

Her eyes widened despite the fact that she knew it would come the way she expected, "b-but why?"

Ryoma looked away and whispered enough for her to hear, "I don't know."

She looked down as she gripped her hands together in front of her.

"But I'll find that out. They probably know the reason at this very moment."

Silence was erupted between then. Before she could ask another question, Ryoma's phone rang. He yanked the apparatus in his pocket and answered it. He turned his back from her and talked on the phone for a while. Sakuno was waiting for him to finish the call. She knew that he was talking to one of his senpais probably sharing the information that they discovered to the young boy. After a several minutes of conversation, he hung up and looked back at her.

"My team decided to help you solve this case."

"W-what case?" she was getting confused on what was really happening now. Ignoring the pain, she stood up and walked closer to him. Ryoma held her with her one elbow.

Ryoma sighed hard before deciding to tell her everything that Fuji told him. He told her everything that she needed to know in a way that she could understand. Judging from the reactions of her eyes, she did. After he explained everything to her, the girl looked down and didn't know what to say.

"Follow what your father said, stay here and don't do anything reckless."

She gripped her hands tight as she talked, "I-I thought that entering this family… would be okay. I mean… meeting Hayate-san, Ahiru-chan, Capella-kun and Fakir-san would be okay. But I don't know that anymore…" she looked away and continued, "w-when I met m-my fiancé, Chris-kun… and then this."

"…"

"W-what's next? They won't stop controlling me until I… u-until I-"

"Don't say anymore," He cut her and grabbed her shoulder at the same time, "you're not… and I won't let you."

She was able to stare at him… tears almost fell on her face, "Ryoma-kun."

"I am not aware before but you know me. I always get things what I want and helping you is what I am going to do."

"Y-you can not guard me anytime… y-you have your life Ryoma-kun, you have a tennis competition to attend to. A-and I don't see the reason why are you still here knowing that you have a competition to win."

Ryoma stared at her for a while and didn't say anything for a while. What the girl was shocked about, the tennis prodigy suddenly pushed her roughly on the floor. She fell down on the cold floor and trying to register what had happened. She heard a door opened and then closed immediately. She saw Ryoma on the other side of the glass door of her balcony. She crawled to the door not minding the small pain on her ankle.

In the eyes of the young tennis prodigy she looked like a porcelain doll who was sitting on the other side of the door. Her gown was almost spread around her, because of the silkiness of the gown; she didn't find it hard to move around.

"W-what are you doing?" she asked the boy who crouched in front of her just the other side of the door. The door was sound proof that she couldn't hear him. She tried budging the door open but the boy was somewhat stopping her, "Ryoma-kun!"

Ryoma yanked his phone once again and called her. Her phone was on the table near her so she picked it up while still crawling, went back to the door which he was waiting and said, 'Why are you doing this, Ryoma-kun?'

'I _need_ you safe here.'

Her eyes widened. She couldn't reply immediately to him.

'I'll go to Melbourne at this midnight but that doesn't mean I won't call you from time to time.'

'Ryoma-kun.' she placed her right palm on the door as if she was touching his cheek on the other side of it.

'Just this once, follow Kitazawa-san and stay here,' he said staring at her eyes putting his left palm as well when he saw her crying. He felt if doing that would wipe her tears away, 'Wait for me until I return.'

'B-but I-'

'Promise me.'

'Ryoma-kun-'

'Promise me!'

'H-hai…'

'Good.'

'T-then… promise me that you'll win,' She leaned closer to the door; her palm was still placed there with his on the other side, 'so that I… could congratulate you.'

He gave her a tiny smile much to the girl's likeness, 'I like that.'

Sakuno was able to smile. They remained silent for a while. Only to be broken by Capella who appeared from nowhere. Ryoma noticed his presence behind him. He looked at his back before returning to her;

'I need to go.'

'R-ryoma-kun… c-chotto-' she was cut when the boy hung up the phone and looked at Capella. Ryoma said something to the boy but she didn't know what it was then she saw the five year old kid blush on whatever the tennis prodigy said to him. Capella looked at her and smiled as he waved at her before leaving them once again, "W-what is happening… C-capella-kun?" she followed the boy's direction until he was out of her sight.

Later on, she heard weak knocks on the door. Ryoma was knocking from the other side of the door. She looked at his amber eyes. Curiosity came to her when the boy gestured her to come closer. She blinked as she leaned closer to the door but the boy insisted her to come a little closer than she already was now. Maybe due to stupidity or whatever, her face landed on the door flat. She blinked as she tried to register what she just did. She was about to lean back when the boy suddenly leaned to the door as well placing his lips where hers was. Realization hit her; Ryoma's purpose was because of that. They didn't kiss naturally because of the sound proof door between them. But Sakuno felt that they did kiss.

It felt warm.

She blushed but still decided to close her eyes. Her right palm was on his left palm like they were really holding hands at that moment.

But the moment had to go. They felt that they had to let go so they did at the same time. They stared for a while like words were not necessary at that moment. Somehow, she stopped crying. She saw him typing something on his cell phone and then he showed it to her. Her eyes widened as she read his message. A smile formed on her lips as she closed her eyes and said;

"H-hai… good luck… Ryoma-kun."

Ryoma was satisfied on her reaction. He nodded and stood up. He slowly walked backwards and jumped on the balcony. He met with Capella below and told the boy to keep an eye on her. And then he was gone.

* * *

**Later On:**

He was waiting on him to arrive at his limousine. He told the boy to spend the time until midnight and he would come to fetch him. He sighed really hard as he remembered something;

_Stupid tensai, if it isn't for his request I wouldn't have done this. _He thought as he crossed his legs on the top of his other leg. Later on, his _special_ guest arrived entering his car and closing the door behind them. Sitting across him he retorted;

"Took you long enough to deal with your girlfriend."

"None of your business, let's go."

"Who are you just to order me around, Ore-sama follow orders to no one."

"che." The person retorted and then looked at the cell phone that he used a while ago. It seemed that the message he typed there hadn't erased yet. He smirked as he read it in his mind.

_A smile suits you best on your face._ He looked back at the mansion while saying his words, "Arigatou… saru no ou."

He closed his eyes as he leaned back, "really now… I can't believe that I am doing this," he said earning a chuckle from the young tennis prodigy. He sighed and said, "Let's go to the airport."

As the limousine drove away from the mansion, he thought everything that happened today. He gripped his hands tight together with the cell phone on. He knew she would wait for him. He trusted the girl and that was what he held for now. He closed his eyes and rested his head back.

_Your smile is my luck… and my charm. So be safe._

* * *

**Done! I guess this is the hardest chapter that I ever made. Okay, it seemed that Sakuno's birthday turned out to be a disaster one but not until Ryoma saved the day… Right? Right? Ryoma will compete on the first grand slam of the year. So next chapter will be random stuffs well mostly I guess. I hope I cleared the reason of Sakuno's attempted assult. I did my best… really…**

**Things will get harder after this… I hope I could put the ideas together. I'll say that Crystal Teardrops will continue for a while. I have more ideas and I don't think the end will take for a long while now…**

**Anyway… what do you think of this chapter? I need to know… so please let me know your thoughts… Domo…**

**Okay, crossover characters by name only probably cameo in the future… I still don't know:**

**Rafael is a borrowed name the eye of Rafael, there was no name in 07-ghost.**

**Verloren – is the demon of 07-ghost. He is actually the spirit of 07-ghost that is separated into seven souls. Verloren is in the body of Ayanami, the main antagonist in the anime.**

**Barsburg and Seele are places in 07-ghost. I do not own the anime… I am so in love with the anime… I missed Teito Klein and Hakuren and Frau. Tee hee hee **

**Next Chapter: Your Own Fine Star **


	28. Your Own Fine Star

**Hi! How are you? This is getting out of my hands now… I guess I made everything complicated here. But I'll try my best to get in the right storyline… what I am bothered was the chapters have greater number in the future and I am worried about it… I am considering of making it to a sequel… ugh! My mind can't decide for now… anyway I hope you like this…**

**Waah… I am in a panic mode now… I am pretty busy replying some of the reviews today… I only have limited internet access so I won't be able to reply to all of your reviews but I promise I will reply to you… Thank you very much… I am happy now for you guys are keeping me busy with your reviews… Thank you for motivating me… ^_^**

**Thank you to _JC-zala_ for reading my fics, from Absolute Kiss to Crystal Teardrops... **

**Yumi014 - Tee hee hee... It's okay... I am glad that you are back now...**

**Really... I'll tell you a secret... when I reviewed it, I actually thought the same too... I thought of keeping that way and wondering if readers would understand... tee hee hee... It's okay... ah! that's not a secret anymore ;P**

**Well, seems like Oishi will be forever their Mother Hen... maybe you're right...**

**Yep, you are a hundred percent right... The moment, I wrote 'ore-sama' there and Ryoma called him 'Saru no Ou' pertained to one person... I gues you already know who would help Seigaku at this moment... tee hee hee...**

**thank you very much... I am glad that you found this story interesting... or more? tee hee hee... Anyway... I hope you like this chapter... ^_^ **

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own TeniPuri, Konomi Takeshi-sensei does and forever will. I do not own the song that Ryoma sang and being used here. Zero-related.**

* * *

**Chapter 28: Your Own Fine Star **

**Chapter Summary: His train of thoughts was all about her. They were temporarily apart but they were practically close. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world…**

* * *

'_You who are whistled from far away address me passing the gentle time_

_The days we are struck in school, slowly the break time is peeping around,_

_Where will our drifting reach to let's search the fate's whereabouts together…__  
_

_If you are tired, come here, I'll always be waiting here…_

_The drop of tears that time, by no means is not a useless courage…'_

_~Echizen Ryoma – __Kimi Dake no Fine Star~_

* * *

He had successfully arrived in Melbourne, Australia a couple of hours after Keigo Atobe had picked him up from Sakuno's mansion. From there, he knew what his team was planning to do with the help of their friendly rival team. With that he felt relieved even he was there to compete for the title, far away from everyone.

Far away from her.

But even so, he knew he could trust his team with her. All he needed to do was to give his best to win the tournament, for the sake of her.

Yeah, he was doing it this time for him and for her, now that his goal was added another important thing.

And there was no way that he would back out.

**xxx**

"Arima."

She looked at him and looked back afterwards. She stared to walk away. Ahiru seemed to know why the bodyguard called her and she was not ready to tell him yet.

"Don't run away from me."

"Fakir-san, I don't have anything to say to you."

Fakir reached for her wrist and held it firmly, "You do," he whispered as he pulled her closer and whispered to her ear, "You know something that we don't know yet."

Ahiru's eyes were widened as he did that. She was blushing, nervous and trembling at the same time. She tried to look away from him and said, "Fakir-san, you are putting me in danger. They didn't know that I discovered their plot b-but I didn't know who was beyond it."

"Who were talking back then?"

Before she could talk, Drosselmeye appeared from nowhere. Ahiru was shocked and she quickly pulled herself away from Fakir. The older knight eyed them and retorted;

"Ahiru what are doing in this area with him?"

"N-nothing, sire. I- I just met Fakir-san here."

Fakir confirmed it, "its true sire, and I was just on my way to the post."

Drosselmeye eyed them suspiciously before saying his next words, "You better be, now go back to your posts."

"Hai!" both of them replied. Ahiru took a glance at him before walking away from the area. Fakir on the other hand, stared at the retreating back of the girl. He too, walked away from his superior without looking back at him.

* * *

**Three Days passed:**

Eiji arrived home a bit early after their practice that day. He was planning to watch the Australian Open tournament in his house. Ryoma was doing fine in his own game. Soon after, the game ended and Ryoma won the game.

6-4, 6-2, 7-5. Ryoma won three consecutive sets without sweat.

"As expected of Ochibi." Eiji said. After the game, he called Oishi and told him about the game. Oishi actually saw the game and they were talking about it forever. After, an hour of conversation he searched for another name and called it. It took three rings before the person on the other line answered;

'H-hello?'

'Hi, Milfie-chan,' Eiji blushed a little, 'did I disturb you?'

'N-no, not at all.' Milfie replied to him, 'why did you call, Eiji-kun?'

Eiji walked to his room and lied down on his bed, 'hmmm, nothing… let's say I just want to hear your voice, nya.'

A chuckle could be heard on the other line of the phone, 'you are funny, Eiji-kun. Ano, arigatou for the other day.'

'Uh, don't mention it,' he said. He took her to her limousine that night but before anything else; Eiji gathered all the courage and asked for the girl's number. He felt happy that the girl gave it to him. He gave the number to her in return and now they were been text mates ever since. It was the first time that he called the girl. He also knew that the girl would be leaving next week, 'Ummm, Milfie-chan d-do you have something to do this Saturday?'

'N-no, why do you ask?'

'Can we meet that day? If you won't mind.' Eiji was blushing this time. He hoped that the girl would agree to his request, but the girl hadn't replied and he thought that she was not there anymore, 'Milfie-chan?'

'S-sure.' She said after a long silence.

Eiji was happy about that, 'Really, thank you! Let's meet at the central clock at noon. I have school until that time.'

'I won't mind going to Seigaku though.'

'Thank you very much… Milfie-chan. I like you already; I'll see you on Saturday then, ja.' With that he ended the call without waiting for her reply. And then a sudden blush surfaced his face. He blinked his eyes twice as he thought something. _D-did I just confess to her? This is so embarrassing._

He quickly covered his body with the blanket and thought things over. He couldn't wait for Saturday to come.

**xxx**

Meanwhile, Milfie was shocked on his words. _Did he just say… he likes me? _She blushed later when she remembered his words but her expressions became sad when she remembered the conversation with her half-brother that morning;

* * *

**Flashback:**

"_Do you really love me that much, Milfeulle?" Chris asked her._

_Milfie who was blushing really hard answered him, "O-of course, I love you with all my heart Christopher-san. I would never follow you here if I didn't."_

"_You know that I can't return it, so don't be stupid."_

"_I-I know." She looked down trying to refrain from crying._

_Chris looked at her. He felt annoyed that the girl followed him there. The Kishida clan returned as possible as they heard the news about Sakuno's threat. They gave their extra protection to the girl and now the blonde boy was guarding the girl when he had the time. He just couldn't take care of her clearly when the tennis prodigy called her sometimes and he felt annoyed when that happened. He couldn't oppose the girl for he promised her that he wouldn't do something to hurt the girl. Then an idea popped up into his mind. He smirked as he talked once again._

"_You really love me, do you?"_

"_I do… a lot." She was still looking down. She couldn't look at his eyes. She felt pathetic about falling in love with her half-brother. Even though they were not brother and sister in full blood it was still forbidden but she couldn't help it unless someone would get her attention and made her fall in love with that person. It was so forbidden. She flinched when Chris put his hands on her shoulder and leaned closer to her ear. She blushed when the blonde boy did that;_

"_If you do love me, then you will make me happy by doing my request."_

_She nodded unconsciously because of their closeness, but on what he said next made her eyes wide opened and was definitely left her in shock. He then leaned back and spoke to her;_

"_Don't let me down on this, Milfie." _

_After that, Chris left her in the room, leaving the stunned girl behind._

* * *

Her reverie was cut when her maid announced that it's time for her to sleep. She merrily answered her personal maid and set herself on the bed. She was alone once again and thought what Chris said to her.

_Christopher-san, why? Why go that far? _She felt like crying as she thought of her one-sided love. She knew that her love was unrequited and never returned by him. But even so, she would still do it for the sake of her love for him.

…Even if her eyes were closed.

* * *

**Melbourne, Australia;**

He was competing for the quarterfinals that day. As expected he was on the lead. One more game of that set and he would be the winner and would be qualified for the semifinals. He looked at the score board as he reviewed them.

6-4, 7-6, 6-7, 5-4…

If he won the next game, he would be qualified for the next round.

It was his turn to serve. He made his first serve an ace, and then the next one and then the last one. Yeah, it was match point already. He smirked when he saw that his opponent was losing his strength. It was miraculously, that his opponent won a set from him. But he won't let him win another one.

He dribbled the ball and then tossed it upward and hit it. His opponent returned it and they rallied for sometime. _He could keep up with me until now, yarujan. _He was impressed actually; he was a bit tired too. His opponent was no ordinary player and he was more skilled than he was.

But he has more unexpected talent, for a 16 year old tennis player. Yet, the youngest tennis player who played and won two grand slam titles already in history. And he was not going to stop there. He was aiming for a higher position.

_To level a certain stupid fiancé, I must win this. _He thought as he hit the ball with his best shot and landed to the other side of the court.

"Game, set, match! Echizen Ryoma!" The umpire announced.

The crowd gave noises for him and he smiled for another victory of that day.

* * *

**Saturday, Japan;**

"Eiji-kun!"

Eiji looked at Milfie who was waving at him. He felt that his heart skip a bit when he saw her with casual clothes, with her pink dress and a large ribbon at the left side of her chest. She was also carrying a pink pouch that was hanging on her elbow. Let alone, he blushed on her entire appearance.

"I'm sorry, I'm late," She said, "Did you wait long?"

Eiji scratched his head and looked away, "Iie… I just got here," he then looked back at her and offered his elbow, "Well, shall we?"

It was her turn to blush that time, she raised her left hand to his elbow and they started to walk.

Unknown to them, snickering people could be heard somewhere.

"I can't believe that Kikumaru-senpai is having a date today."

"Shhh, Quiet Momo, Eiji is sharp unlike Echizen you know." Oishi tugged Momo as he stared at his doubles partner who started to walk away with the girl. Eiji told everyone that he had some business to do. It was unusual of him to say something like that so they followed the acrobatic player to his destination and ended up in the central clock and met the pink-haired girl.

Momo eyed his senpai, "Oishi-senpai, that's so unusual of you."

"Eh? What do you mean by that?" Before he could react, Oishi heard the others laugh. They were all there well, except for the tennis captain and the coach of course. He blushed a little, "Don't get the wrong idea here; I am just worried about Eiji." He quickly defended himself.

"Saa, Is that so?" Fuji said smiling at him, "Well, I guess we should follow them before we lose sight of those two."

"Ii Data." Inui said writing new information in his green notebook.

The others shook their heads as they started to follow the two who were 'dating'.

**xxx**

Milfie seemed to be enjoying herself with his company. Eiji was really kind and generous. In fact, she liked all of him. She let him lead to all the places of his choice. Whatever the boy did sure make her happy. She just met Eiji once but she felt at ease already when she was with him. Although, there were text mates before but she wouldn't mind spending the whole night texting with the boy. She wasn't staying up late before but now she was doing it just to text the acrobatic player. She also learned some information about the team and Sakuno and had the slight idea why would she have a hint that they didn't like her half-brother for the girl. Somehow, she felt relieved when she heard that but she was not that sad anymore.

She liked talking to Eiji all the time.

Now that the boy had asked for a date, she didn't regret accepting it. She smiled while staring at him. _He's… very kind and gentle. I wish he could be more like you though. _She thought. She flinched when the boy leaned at her and waved his hands in front of her face. She blushed, "W-what is it?"

"You are not with me. Are you thinking of something?" Eiji pouted a little.

She smiled, "G-gomen, I thought of something."

"Ah, are you thinking of another guy? While you are with me?" he said looking away from her as he pouted, "I am jealous already."

She giggled on his childish act, another thing that she liked about him, "I am not, Eiji-kun."

He looked at her and said, "Is that so?" he became happy once again and grabbed her hand, "Let's go and eat. I am hungry."

She was being dragged by him while her blush never left her face. Mysteriously, her heart was beating really fast especially when the boy was doing something like that.

* * *

**At the mansion;**

She watched every match of him. Her eyes were widened as she stared at the large screen.

He won another match once again. And he was qualified for the semifinals. She folded her knees and hugged them between her arms. She stared at the boy who was being taken close up while being interviewed.

_Ryoma-kun… I knew you could do it._

Everytime she looked at the boy, her worries were forgotten. True, that the people at the mansion were giving extra care about her safety and was very thankful of them. Even Chris took turns just to guard her. But nothing could level the safeties she felt when she looked at the boy on the screen.

Even though she was very far from him, she still felt safe. She felt that she could do anything, that she could survive everything, even threats and warnings that were coming towards her.

She smiled as blush returned to her face. Just few more days and she was about to see him again.

…And to congratulate him on his victory. She fixed herself to a more comfortable position and then she noticed something sparkling around her neck. Memories rushed into her brain as she touched her necklace.

The necklace was made of leather. It was smooth on the surface but rough inside but that didn't irritate her when it touched her skin. In fact, it was very comfortable to use. There was also a pendant that was hanging on the leather necklace. The pendant was engraved an average size of letter 'R' and it encircled by the silver ring around it. The letter 'R' had a shiny thingy making the pendent sparkle. She blushed as she remembered someone.

Someone who gave her that necklace was actually on the screen that she was staring at. She was very happy. Of all the expensive gifts and presents that she received on her birthday, the necklace that she was wearing was the most valuable she ever received. It was cheap yet elegant.

But she would treasure it for the rest of her life.

* * *

**Five days later:**

The regulars noticed Eiji's depression, excluding Tezuka, Sumire and non-regulars knew the reason. They wouldn't blame the acrobatic player for they too didn't know what really happened;

* * *

**Flashback:**

_They spent most of the time at the park after lunch. Eiji never ran out of story much to the girl's amusement. The young teen seemed to be enjoying his time with her and he was glad that he was able to make the girl happy._

"_Tezuka-buchou is the strictest buchou you've ever met."_

"_R-really?" Milfie giggled._

"_Un," He nodded, "and Inui threatens us with his juice, I recommend you not to drink that if he ever offers you one. My partner Oishi is really motherly worried about us sometimes oh; don't tell him that I told you that."_

_She giggled once again and was so eager to listen of the rest of his story._

"_Momo and Kaidoh are best friends in the team who will not miss a day of not fighting. Fuji is the most sadistic genius you will ever met and I'll tell you, you won't mess with that kind of guy," He said and embracing himself in front of the girl who giggled, "He's creepy."_

"_And Ochibi-"_

"_Ochibi?" she blinked twice._

"_Oh yeah, right, you are not aware of his nickname," he looked at her, "Echizen-chan, nya, you know him? Well, he's actually romantically-challenged but I think he's slowly expressing himself now. Sometimes he is just so difficult to read. What do you know, that boy is just a boy with a few words."_

"_O-oh?" she looked down as if thinking of something. Then he remembered something._

"_Milfie-chan sorry about… you know badmouthing your half-brother." He looked away from her, he didn't like to see how the girl would react on his words, "it's just that, we had seen some things he did to Ryuzaki-chan that we didn't like. I'm sorry about that."_

_Milfie shook her head, "Un, its okay. He's always rude… I understand that."_

"_He is?"_

_Her irises softened as she replied to him, "but he is still a nice guy especially when he cares for the people that he loves the most."_

_Eiji looked at her and blushed. He was not aware on what the girl was saying, "kawaii…"_

"_E-eh?"_

_Eiji became beet red when he realized what he had just said, "err, ano sa… gomen, I-I just blurted what I thought is true… it's just that… you really are cute that I can't stop looking at you. I hope you won't freak out," He looked away as he scratched his head, "Darn I'm miserable, you think I am crazy… hee hee."_

_She blushed as she looked away, "I-ie, I-I am glad that you said that… t-thank you."_

"_Really… that's a relief then," he sighed and smiled, "the guy that you will fall in love with will be very lucky. You are sweet and honest."_

_Her eyes widened as she heard his words. She couldn't hear his words after that. It felt that he hit something from the bottom of her heart. She gripped her hands on her lap as she looked down._

"_I am not honest."_

"_E-eh?"_

_To the boy's surprised, the girl suddenly hugged him and gave him a tender kiss on the lips. His eyes widened in shock as their lips collided. It took seconds before she broke apart from the kiss._

"_Gomenasai…" she whispered before standing up on the bench and quickly ran away from the area._

_Eiji was left behind who was still shock. He involuntarily touched his lips that she kissed and couldn't utter a word. Later on, he whispered, "what has just… happened?"_

* * *

Eiji sighed as he returned from his reverie. He couldn't understand why that girl suddenly ran away after she kissed him and apologized. He should be happy about the kiss but something was wrong as he could sense it. He couldn't get to the girl. He tried to call the girl but she wouldn't pick up nor replied to his messages. He flinched when a racket was being hit lightly on his head and saw Tezuka behind him.

"Buchou…"

The captain was still stoic as he spoke, putting the racket down from his head, "Don't let your guard down."

He was a bit shocked on his word but on what his captain said made him back to his world. He always heard Tezuka's catchphrase most of the time but somehow, the way he said it to him that moment gave him a different meaning. Then, he realized something; he knew that he could talk to the girl one of these days. He would confirm everything for the both of them. He stood up leaving the captain on the bench while playing with his racket once again;

"Yosh, Oishi let's practice."

* * *

**Night:**

'Ryoma-kun?'

'Un.'

'Um, c-congratulations on making it to the finals.'

'I am not the winner yet, congratulate me when I won the finals.'

_Won? He's really full of himself. _She giggled on her thoughts, 'Okay, I'll wait until you win.'

'Is everything alright, there?'

'Hai, don't worry. They are guarding me well here.'

'That's good.' Ryoma said as he looked at the clock. It was morning in Melbourne and he had the final match later. He estimated that it was night in Japan already, 'You should sleep, and it's getting late. You can watch my game tomorrow.'

'H-hai. Good luck, Ryoma-kun.'

'Un.'

With that Ryoma hung up. She put the phone on the table as she looked at the window beside her. Memories came to her in seconds as she remembered the time; Ryoma sneaked into her window and cheered her up. It was funny but she would never forget that time. It was dark already and she could see some stars above. They were all sparkly but she was only thinking of one star.

He was skilled at tennis, good at all academic subjects, had unbelievable talents in everything and had the power to save her everytime. He was her star indeed.

She settled herself on the bed as she looked at the ceiling. "Chris-kun maybe my partner but you… Ryoma-kun… even though you wouldn't notice… you are my own fine star. Because no matter where you are, I know you will guide me to the right path... arigatou."

She closed her eyes with a satisfaction smile on her face before she got herself in deep slumber.

* * *

**Meanwhile at Narita Airport;**

Milfie was ready to leave. She would be leaving Japan without saying good bye to Eiji. It was too hard for her. The boy was too kind to her and she couldn't take of using the guy to trivial matters. She didn't regret that her first kiss was him. She liked the kiss she gave him and it was a bit sad that Eiji didn't respond on her kiss. Well, how would she expect him to reply if she kissed the boy all of the sudden? He was too shock to respond. At least it was a memory that she would like to remember. She looked at her ticket and gripped it really hard. Then, she remembered what Chris had said to her;

_Don't let me down, Milfie. I trust you on this._

After long years of holding back, tears fell down on her face the first time and whispered;

"I am very sorry, Eiji-kun."

Thus, the announcement of her flight arrived and she walked to the departure area.

* * *

**Done! How was this chapter? I just love hints… did you notice? What is Milfie's mission? Why is he apologizing to Eiji? You will find them in the next chapter… I promise. **

**It was supposed to be Ryoma-Sakuno moment but I guess my plan didn't turn that way. Anyway, another RyoSaku moment probably be in the next chapter too… if the scenes will get there properly… Stay tuned…**

**Reviews please… I need to hear your thoughts… Action will take time for a while… it will not be detailed but the mysteries will be revealed one by one… **

**Next Chapter: Sinful Kisses **


	29. Sinful Kisses

**Hi There! I am back again with the new chapter… Sometimes… I feel too lazy to write the next chapter but If I don't start writing the next one, I will be left with the other chapters or worst I won't be able to post in time. Anyway, I hope you like this one too.**

**Yumi014 - Welcome back tee hee hee... **

**I definitely wish the same thing... Having friends like Seigaku players is a like an anime-dream come true... Yeah... sometimes they are annoying (in Ryoma's perspective ;p) but they are fun to be fun. Tee hee hee... Seems like it... Eiji will be on the hot seat sometimes... actually, I have in mind who will be the next victim... but I don't know when to insert it... oh... just wait for it... maybe...**

**Milfie is 'currently' head over heals with her half-brother but that will change when she realizes who she really likes... ummm maybe here or in the next chapter I guess... tee hee hee... **

**Well... at least the naruto seasons but I haven't finished watching Shippuden yet... I've seen the fic and I think it's funny... I'll finish on what I am reading right now because it is a but long... it will take a lot of time reading though... tee hee hee... thank you for telling me that fic...**

**Thank you very much... I hope that you like this one too... ^_^**

**Anonymous13 - yep... he's definitely her star... tee hee hee... no matter how far he goes, she can always reach him... I hope you like this... and I hope that it will interest you like you said... ^_^**

**I would like to thank Rikudai for making Crystal Teardrops reaching 300 reviews and counting… I should have posted this last chapter 28 but I forgot to do it... tee hee hee...**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Tenisu no Ouji-sama. Honky-dory?**

* * *

**Chapter 29: Sinful Kisses**

**Chapter Summary: Surprises events, compensations and reconciliations. Find out on how painful hearts get together to heal once again.**

* * *

**Melbourne, Australia, Finals competition;**

It was already his match point of the final game of the match. One more point and he would be the winner. One more point and he would be getting the title for the Australian open. He knew that everyone was watching his game, especially his teammates in Japan, his parents and his cousin and most of all, her. He wouldn't leteveryone down. There was someone who was waiting for him to come back. To congratulate him winning the title and he wouldn't let that person down as well. He tossed the ball upward and hit it to the other side of the court. His opponent hit it back and rallied once again. He was tough to begin it but he wouldn't let him win the point.

* * *

**Japan, in Seigaku;**

Momo was leaning on the TV really close, "Go, Echizen beat him!"

"Stop leaning on the screen or you'll going to eat it."Kaido said.

"What did you say mamushi?" Momo looked at Kaidoh.

Before the two could fight Oishi interrupted them, "Now, now stop fighting you two. Echizen is almost winning."

"Oishi's right, Ochibi is in his match point already, let's watch him play." Eiji said agreeing to his doubles partner's words.

Sumire and Tezuka were quietly watching the game too while the others were doing different reactions as well. They were actually anticipated the end of the game and it looked like they knew who would win the title for that year.

* * *

**At the mansion;**

Sakuno felt the same too. She was in her room and Chris was beside her. Chris was not interested about the game but he respected her as she was supporting the game of her friend. The blonde boy was silently watching the game with her.

Then, the point was given to him, earning the title of the youngest Australian open winner for the second time. Everyone was happy as she could sense it. _Obaa-chan is really happy about this. I know it. Congratulations Ryoma-kun. _She thought and she smiled as she stared on the screen and blushed at the same time. Ryoma was being interviewed at the moment when suddenly an unexpected girl appeared on the screen and approached him.

"Milfeulle? What's she doing there?" Chris suddenly said making Sakuno flinch.

The girl stared at the screen. Chris was right. Milfeulle was there and she was clinging to the boy's arm. She didn't remember that the two met at her birthday and she doubted that the boy did too. She felt a slight pang on her chest when the girl went closer to him. Ryoma was seemed too oblivious about the girl behind him as she could see him blink his eyes.

"Um, miss? Could you be Mr. Echizen's girlfriend?" they heard the interviewer asked the pink haired girl.

Milfeulle smiled sweetly at the interviewer and said, "Well, I am hoping that too," she looked at him, "Why don't we show the world on what we are made of?" with that she slowly leaned closer to the boy and crossed the distance between them.

Everyone who was watching the show became wide-eyed. Milfeulle kissed Ryoma on the lips making the latter wide-eyed as well. Sakuno was shocked too as well as Eiji in Seigaku who stood up from his seat. Everyone gasped and remained speechless. Chris smirked without the girl's knowledge. Milfeulle smiled in front of the screen as she broke the kiss. Ryoma pinned his hat down to hide his embarrassment. Sakuno looked away as she gripped her hands. The blonde boy turned off the TV without finishing the interviewer's speech and turned to his fiancée.

"It's getting late, you should sleep now," Chris said leaning closer to her and gave her a kiss on her cheek, "I'll come back tomorrow morning."

Chris left her there not leaving a smile on his face. He walked away thinking on what his half-sister did today. He then remembered what he told her a week ago;

"_Go to Melbourne and make a scene after Echizen Ryoma's game." Chris whispered on her ear, "I will also make sure that Sakuno will see it."_

_He leaned back as he saw Milfie's reaction. Before she could protest, he interrupted, "Don't let me down on this."_

He smirked as he left the area completely. _Nice job my beloved sister._

**xxx**

"Eiji, are you okay?" Oishi asked his doubles partner. Everyone looked at the acrobatic player. They turned off the TV after the incident.

Eiji looked down as he started to walk away, "Aa, I am fine."

"S-senpai, where are you going?" Momo asked him this time.

Eiji continued to walk away, "I need some fresh air. I'll see you tomorrow."

Oishi was about to follow him but Tezuka blocked his way. The vice captain looked at the captain and saw him shook his head slowly. Hopelessly, the mother hen looked at his partner leave the area, wishing that everything would be alright.

* * *

**Night:**

It's been hours after the victory but Sakuno couldn't sleep that night. It was already 11 in the evening and her curfew had been passed an hour ago. Her phone suddenly rang which was just on her side and looked at it.

_R-ryoma-kun? _She thought as she read the caller. Memories suddenly came into her that made her unable to breathe lightly. She didn't want to talk to him so she didn't take the call until it ended. But seconds later, the boy was calling her again and again and again. Due to persistent disturbing, she finally answered the call.

"H-hello?"

"What took you so long?" he asked sensing the irritation on his voice.

"I-I was sleeping."

"Yeah, right." He answered with mischief. The boy knew that she was lying. She tried to sound tired as possible. She wanted to end the call as soon as possible.

"W-why did you call?"

"I am in Japan now."

She was shocked. She knew that the boy wanted to see her, "R-ryoma-kun. I-it's late. L-let's talk tomorrow."

"Wait-"

She ended the call after that. Then she realized something. What if the boy was already there? What if he was just outside the mansion? She was not ready to talk to him yet not after what happened a while ago. She quickly stood up, wore a silky robe to cover her fragile skin from the cold and went outside. The night was pretty dark but she could see the autumn tree near the table just outside the balcony. She looked around if it was safe to go there. Once she was sure about it, she quietly went to the tree and leaned there. There was a dim post near the tree so she could see a little around her. She thought of staying there for thirty minutes before going back to her room.

"It's dangerous to stay here alone, you know."

She flinched when she heard someone talk. Someone she knew very well. She slowly looked to her side and saw him standing there. His hand was leaning at the side of the tree while staring at her.

"R-ryoma-kun…" her eyes widened in shock, "H-how?"

He sighed as he talked, "I saw you walk here."

She looked away. She couldn't stare at him, "W-what are you doing here?"

"You hung up on me," he said grabbing her chin to look at him, "and I told you before that I'll _confront_ you if you ever do that."

She blushed on their closeness. She shoved his hand and walked away, "I-it's late, y-you should go home."

"Why are you here then? You should be inside your room at this hour."

She looked back at him. He was leaning on the tree that she was leaning before.

"You saw what happened, right?"

She was shocked on his words. The boy was staring at her intensely.

"I don't know the girl."

She looked away from him, "She's… Chris-kun's half-sister."

"Hmmm," he simply commented, "I knew something's going on. She's Kikumaru-senpai's interest."

"E-eh?" she looked at him once again. Ryoma's hat was pinned down so she couldn't read his expression.

"Ne,"

She blinked her eyes twice.

"Purify me."

"W-what?"

"Purify me." he looked at her seriously this time.

She blushed at his intense stare. She knew what he meant by 'purifying' him. She looked away trying to change the topic, "W-what are you talking about?"

Before she could get away, Ryoma grabbed her wrists making her stare back at him, "You know what I mean."

She was able to stare at him, "R-ryoma-kun…" she shifted her eyes elsewhere, "Y-you know that I have a fiancé. T-this is… c-cheating."

Ryoma snapped. He pulled her wrists a little closer to him, "I don't care. Don't make such lame excuses. It will never work on me."

She gasped on his words. She was blushing on their close proximity. Her eyes were able to stare at his'. They stared for a while before Sakuno struggled to free her wrists on his grip.

Ryoma thought that she was going to distance herself from him but he blinked his eyes once instead when the girl placed both of her hands to his cheek and slowly reached for his lips. They both closed their eyes at the same time. Ryoma wrapped his hands to her waist as he responded to her kiss.

Purification was done.

She let go after a series of seconds. She blushed as she looked away, "I-I'm done… n-now go." She was about to leave when the boy grabbed her wrist once again and pinned her on the tree. Sakuno was shocked on his action. The boy was awfully close to her.

"Not for me." with that he crossed the distance once again and kissed her. Her eyes widened as her heart beat faster than the normal.

She couldn't understand the boy anymore. Why was he doing all of this? Why where everything was complicated now? She was afraid to ask? Afraid of what would his answer be. Her train of thoughts was cut when he finally broke the kiss.

"I'll only do these kinds of things to Sakuno," He said emphasizing her name, "not to anyone else."

Her eyes widened as the boy suddenly said that. He distanced himself a little and inserted his hand to his pocket, "I came here to hear your praises."

"E-eh?" She blinked her eyes thrice. Then, she remembered, "H-hai, c-congratulations on winning the Australian open." She blushed as she smiled on him. She saw him nodded and smiled back at her.

Ryoma noticed something on her. He went closer to her once again making her panic a little. He slipped her silk cloth to reveal her collar bone earning a blush from her. He smirked when he saw what was hanging on her neck. He grabbed it and said, "You are wearing it."

She looked down and stared at the necklace, "h-hai… y-you told me, so… t-thank you for the wonderful gift."

He put the necklace down and commented, "You should wear my name from now on."

Sakuno blinked on his words, "E-eh? What do you mean? I-Isn't this… Ryuzaki?"

The boy pointed the pendant right at her collar bone and simply said, "That's Ryoma."

Blush suddenly surfaced on her face as she understood what he had just said. Her eyes were slowly widened. All this time, she thought that the meaning of 'R' would be Ryuzaki to him but he made it clear to her. It was 'Ryoma' all along. She looked down as she nodded. She didn't see him smile.

Before anything else, Sakuno looked up to him again, "R-ryoma-kun, y-you really should go now."

The boy sighed as he heard her say that, "You're right. It's getting late," He pushed the girl inside, "don't do this again, you hear me."

She closed her eyes as she sweat dropped. She knew what he was talking about, "h-hai."

He took her back to her room then walked away. Before he could disappear to her sight she called his name once again and said, "W-welcome back and congratulations, again."

Ryoma looked at her and pinned his hat down, "Un." With that, he quickly got away.

She went to her bed after that. Ryoma knew how to sneak into the mansion and she didn't know how. What if the culprit knew that too? She felt goose bumps as she thought of that. But she trusted whoever helped Ryoma to enter the mansion like that. With that, she was able to sleep with no worries. Ryoma was worried on her thoughts that night that's why the boy went to see her even at that hour of the night. She was glad that he visited her to clear things right.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at that same time:**

She was awakened by the gentle touch on her skin. Her whole body was painful but the touch was light. The mix of pain and soft touch was the cause to make her wake up.

She was shocked to see the knight sitting on her bed touching her bruised face. She suddenly sat on her bed and felt alerted.

"F-fakir-san!" she whispered as lowly as possible. She didn't want to catch someone's attention, "w-what are you doing here?"

Instead of answering her, Fakir began to examine both of her arms and face and then looked suspiciously at her, "What is happening to you?"

She pulled her arms from him and looked away, "N-none of your business."

Fakir frowned on her words, "Arima, stop being so stubborn and let me help you."

Ahiru looked down. She didn't care what the boy was doing in her room anymore. She hugged herself in front of him, "Y-you can not help me on this. T-this is what I got when I tried warning you about the attack."

Fakir stared at her face. She had bruised on her face especially on her lower side of her lip. He didn't want to imagine the worst whoever did those things to her. He grabbed her wrist and massage it, "Did they discover that you found out about their plan?"

She gasped as she bit her lip, "M-master… h-he forced me to confess but I didn't tell him," She looked down, "I… honestly don't know who was beyond the attack. I accidentally heard them talking about it."

"This master of yours, was he behind the attack?" Fakir asked her.

She shook her head, "H-he was furious when he heard about it. H-he told Drosselmeye about the attack that's why your men spread that night. I-I don't think that he was behind the attack that night too."

Fakir thought hard. Something was not right. He didn't trust her master. To hurt her like this, her master was trying to gain something from her but what was it?

"Arima, tell me what you know, I promise I'll protect you." He said staring at her eyes.

She shivered on his stare, "I… I am scared. I-I don't want to disclose anything from you."

"Because of Capella, right?" he saw her flinch on his question, "Your past with Capella was behind of all this, something that is connected to the present and to the mistress is trying you to stop from confessing to anyone."

Her eyes widened as he said those words to her. She flinched when she felt pain on her bruise that he was massaging.

"I want you to trust me."

"E-even if you discover the truth… that doesn't change the face that the mistress' life will be safe. She's a Kitazawa the moment she signed the papers… S-she would be facing the danger more if she learned the truth. K-knowing her, I know she would."

Fakir thought hard. She had a point. Knowing the truth would put everyone in danger so he shouldn't rush things over. He touched her cheek and whispered, "Tell me outside the mansion if we are safe and free. Will you do that?"

Ahiru thought what Fakir said. Fakir still wanted to know everything. And telling him outside the mansion was a good idea but the problem was where would they go and when would be the right time to tell him. She was scared already as she was putting another life in danger once Fakir learned the truth about her secret.

The secret that even her master didn't know.

She closed her eyes and blindly nodded so that the knight would stop pestering her about the truth. Fakir felt satisfied about her motion but not on her appearance. He thoroughly examined her arms once again and said, "You'd been chained, am I right?"

She gasped. She bit her lip and nodded.

"He's cruel to you." He said as he gripped her wrists tighter. She winced on the pain but he ignored her reaction, "He did cruel things to you, didn't he?"

"I-I am fine with it." She said to him even though it was a lie. She flinched when the knight touched her lips and traced the bruise lightly to avoid more pain.

"You got this wound because he forcedly kissed you, right?"

Her eyes widened. How did the knight know that? Was he some kind of a magician that he could guess what happened to her? She thought that he was finished talking but she was wrong about that.

"He did something ungentle to you, didn't he?" he asked staring at her sternly.

That hit her. She remembered telling him previously how her master harassed her. He was guessing her right. Her master was still molesting her while punishing her in the process. No matter how disgusted she could feel while her master was enjoying touching her to her sensitive parts of her body, she blindly ignored it. She was more concerned about Capella and she was not going to think of her own safety. Her master could blatantly molest her as long as he wouldn't go beyond his touch or else she would be happy to kill herself before reaching her master's intention to her. She was cut on her reverie when the knight wiped her tears. That's the only time she noticed that she was crying. It was also the first time Fakir saw her cry.

"H-he hasn't succeeded on his plan to go all the way… at least not yet," She gripped her hands tight on her lap, "I-I won't let him. H-he could enjoy harassing me but… n-not my…"

Fakir slowly hugged the girl. She was shocked on his action. He gritted his teeth while thinking the possible result if these things could go on. He tightened the grip. He felt the urge to protect the girl more, "I'll kill that bastard before he does that to you."

"F-fakir-san."

"Trust me on this. I'll watch over you from now on." He said looking at her eyes this time. They were pretty close to each other now and the maid was not aware on how red she was.

"B-but how-"

Her eyes widened as the knight quickly leaned closer to kiss her on the lips. She gasped as Fakir slowly moved trying to avoid the wound on her lips. She was blushing. She never expected that the knight would be kissing her again. The kiss he had given her last Christmas was because of the Mistletoe that was hanging on the tree. But there were no mistletoe hanging to any tree that time. He was kissing her… in a romantic way. She closed her eyes as she tried to respond but no to avail, the wound on her lips brought pain to her as she tried to move.

"You don't have to respond," Fakir said a little irritated when the kiss broke, "Let me take control of everything." With that, he crossed the distance once again and kissed her on the same spot.

She was blushing when he kissed her intimately. He was taking care of her body afraid to make more pain. She placed her hands on his chest for support. She found safety in his arms as she did that. She was scared for him, for Capella, for the Mistress and even for the mistress' friends. She was willing to take the risk if it was for the people she loved.

Fakir was no exemption to that.

She gladly took the kiss he was giving her. At least there were things that she could remember in the future. No matter what happened to her.

After a while, Fakir broke the kiss only when Ahiru was put to bed. The knight gestured her on her bed without noticing it. He caressed her cheek as she saw fondness in his eyes.

"Everything will be fine, stay with me."

She found the courage to nod. When the knight was satisfied to her answer, he kissed her on the forehead before standing and went to her door. He took one last look of her before exiting her room. Somehow she found new hope and security on Fakir's words. She would trust him and bet her life with it. She liked the knight a lot and she would do everything to keep him safe too. Her life was complicated but she would find a tiny chance to experience happiness. At least to her loved ones.

* * *

**The Next day:**

Ryoma went to school that day and was welcomed and congratulated by his senpai-tachi. He wondered about Eiji because he didn't welcome him. Normally, the acrobatic player was always the one to approach him and gave him a headlock or suddenly jumped on him but there were no sign of Eiji. Fuji tapped his shoulder and talked;

"He's in the locker room. I think you should talk to him."

He nodded, "Sankyuu." With that he quickened his pace and went to the locker room. Eiji was in the process of locking his belongings when he entered the room, "Kikumaru-senpai."

Eiji flinched a little but recovered and looked at him, "Ochibi, you're here already."

"You didn't welcome me and it was unusual of you." he said in a monotone voice.

"Did I?" Eiji scratched his head and smiled ridiculously at him, "Sorry I was not in the mood to do that."

Ryoma sighed, "Senpai, she apologized to me and Ryuzaki understood."

"What?" Eiji looked at him.

Ryoma smirked on him, "You are interested at Lloydie's half-sister, aren't you?"

Blush crept onto the acrobatic player's face as he heard his words, "W-where did you get that?"

He pinned his hat down and said, "News spread faster than you imagine senpai."

Eiji looked away. The regulars came behind Ryoma and looked at him. Oishi talked this time.

"Eiji, shouldn't you stop ignoring the poor girl? She wanted to explain to you."

"He's right, Eiji. Hear her side. I guess it's time for you to stop ignoring her calls." Fuji said to him.

"Senpai, stop being a coward and face the girl!" Momo said making a commotion. Oishi hit Momo on the head.

Ryoma smirked, "If you watched all the way, I explained to everyone that we are not dating and she was merely a fan besides," he pinned his hat down to hide his embarrassment and said almost inaudible for them to hear, "you all know who I am interested in."

Everyone looked at him and remained speechless. Eiji was shocked on his action and finally grabbed him.

"Ochibi! I can't believe that you are the one to say that." Eiji said followed by murmurs of the regulars.

"Che." He smiled afterwards. At least he cleared the misunderstanding between him and his senpai.

Not long before, Sumire and Tezuka arrived and caught their attention.

"I have an announcement to tell you guys," Sumire said and then looked at Fuji and then to Ryoma, "Ryoma congratulations on winning the tournament but I guess we have to delay your party for a while."

"Uissu." He simply said.

"Well, it's about my granddaughter's safety."

Everyone became serious when she mentioned her granddaughter.

"The Kitazawa and I decided that Sakuno would be…"

* * *

**At the Mansion:**

"Y-you called for me, Mom, Dad?" Sakuno said as she sat on the table in front of her parents.

"Yeah, we decided on something, dear," Reinja said as he stared at her, "Your grandmother and us talked about this morning and we decided on how to protect you."

She felt nervous when her father said something so serious. She also felt that she wouldn't like on what he was about to say next.

Reinja looked at his wife who nodded at him and looked back to her and said;

"We decided to send you to America and spend a couple of months there."

Sakuno and Ryoma who heard the news at the same time were shocked on the news.

* * *

**Done! I am done with another chapter… How was this one?… okay… why America? I'll tell you the reason in the next chapter or two… I guess… Fakir is so close of knowing the truth… he will know but not in the eyes of the readers at least when all secrets are finally revealed. If you know what I mean… tee hee hee…**

**Ahiru had a terrible past and it is repeating again if you know what I mean… so… I would like to warn you that Ahiru will be suffering in the future chapters… not the way you imagine it because Fakir is always to the rescue. How? Just find out in the future chapters…**

* * *

**Just for fun…**

_Nanzennen mo mae kara tsunagaru ore no ruutsu ga_

_`Mada mada dane' tte waraikakete iru _

_Yoyuu no sumairingu misetsukete sa woh oh oh oh _

_Genkai nante NO, sankyuu sa takamaru mune no ondo ga_

_Mata zokuzoku to ore o yorokobaseru…_

**Can you guess what is the title of this song? Whoever answers this question will be acknowledged on the next chapter… (I guess Rin-chan knows this song… tee hee hee…) Domo… ^_^ **

**I do not own the song… Definitely zero-related. Honky-dory...**

* * *

**Reviews please… I need more motivation… I need to write or else I'll get lazy… you don't want that, right? I want you to motivate me and please don't make me… **

**Next Chapter: Juliet and Romeo**


	30. Juliet and Romeo

**Hi there! Me again! Thank you very much for your wonderful reviews. It was not enough to thank you and I don't know how to pay you back. I hope that my story will be enough for payment and able to post every week without fail. Thank you once again… I hope you like this…**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own TeniPuri and never will.**

**Ugh! I am in a bad mood today... my Internet access is not cooperating with me... and my access is only limited... I tried posting this chapter today... I hope it worked... Also, I apologize if I am not able to reply some of the reviews for now... that's why I am in a bad mood today... and sorry for the grammar guys... same old, same old...**

* * *

**Guest - yeah... seems like it... her parents are telling her to escape... in a beautiful way... well... even I can not predict the future... so we will see then... ;P thank you that you like the idea there and I totally agree with you... obstacles indeed make their bonds stronger... Just see how they will deal with it... not to mention a bugging fiancée is in the way.**

**Yeah... they do trust each other because the main problem is not the issue yet... They will be facing bigger problems in the future... what will it be? in the future... tee hee hee... Actually, I've been thinking on how Ryoma would comfort Eiji without being out of his character. I am glad that you like it...**

**I am glad that you like the previous chapter... I hope that it did inspire you to write stories and I wish that you would write one in the future... thank you once again... tee hee hee... ^_^**

**Anonymous13 - Yeah, it was romantic alright... tee hee hee... Ryoma is slowly expressing himself alright but not that fast though... he will be expressing himself through actions than words. And don't worry, I had having a hard time remembering Milfeulle's name at first but I got used to it... you spelled her name right... ^_^**

**Too bad for Chris... and what he did, make the two become closer ;P...**

**BTW - there is something in this chapter that notice... but I guess you will what it is... I will say it later anyway... well... just enjoy this chapter though... I hope... ^_^**

**Yumi014 - He is alright... tee hee hee... Well, I just realized the not all mansion is flawless... The mansion has flaws in some way. Like on Ryoma's case... well, someone is helping him to sneak in that part of the mansion which is rarely seen by guards (you can call it _his_ secret passage). I'll reveal it later tee hee hee...**

**yeah... I can sense that it's very funny... I am interested in that fic... I'll read it when I am done with the fic that I am reading... Maybe people from the office think that I'm crazy if they see me snickering at my station when that time comes... I can imagine that already... ^_^**

**Tee hee hee... it's okay... you are mentioned in the author's note... but thank you for trying to guess it... tee hee hee... the title of the song is Shout up to the sky sang by Junko Minagawa(Ryoma Echizen's voice) It was one of Ryoma's songs in his album...**

**Thank you for the unending support that you are giving me... I'll stay healthy as I can... I don't want to get sick for it is forbidden for me to get sick... tee hee hee... thank you... I appreciate it... ^_^**

**Mayu-chan on Password review:**

**Well, it was focused on his thoughts that he _just _realized that he fell in love with her after all those years of being oblivious. It just came to him all of a sudden... So, yeah... that's why he had been thinking of her through the whole week before going back to Japan...**

**actually, you didn't have to remind me of that... It's just a minor slip of mine that I unexpectedly forgotten of inputting it as a complete one-shot but I guess that readers understood it. It's just that I didn't have the just to change it right away due to lack of Internet access... (That means I can access the Internet every Tuesday and Today- Friday) well, anyway thank you for telling me though... it marked complete now... ^_^ **

* * *

**Chapter 30: Juliet and Romeo**

**Chapter Summary: She's leaving and was going away from them. How would he adjust to that?**

* * *

_She's leaving. _He thought that night as he stared at the ceiling of his room. He raised his hand where his phone was, there was something attached to it. It was the keychain that the girl gave to him on his birthday, the same keychain that the girl also had. Then, memories at that time fell right through his brain. He smiled as he thought but he became serious afterwards, knowing that the situation was _indeed _not the same anymore. The girl would be leaving before Valentine's Day. Her parents said that she should leave as soon as possible. It would make for the culprit to postpone whatever his plans if that person discovered that Sakuno went somewhere else.

He turned around as he saw Karupin on his side. He gently brushed the cat's fur earning a purr from it. He was busy doing that when his father suddenly entered. He grunted as he sat on his bed, "Do you even know how to knock?"

Nanjiroh smiled mysteriously as he walked closer to his son, "Oh come on brat, you should be happy. You received two prices when you won the tournament in Australia."

"Che." He looked away. He knew what his father meant. Much to his annoyance, Nanjiroh bent closer and asked him a question;

"So, how was your girlfriend's kiss?"

A pillow was suddenly shot on his face. Ryoma retorted while Nanjiroh was busy taking the pillow out of his face, "Baka no Oyaji, she's not my girlfriend. I don't even know the girl."

"Heh," Nanjiroh retorted, "Really, she was being friendly. Hey, Seishouren at least you have an idea how girls lips feel like," he said and then he leaned closer to his son's ear and whispered, "You can practice with Ryuzaki-chan if you like."

Ryoma kicked his father out of his room in an instant, "Mind your own business!" with that he closed the door behind them. He could hear his father's unending speech but he was too tired to listen. He went back to his bed and lied down next to Karupin. He smirked as he remembered his father's last comment, knowing that he was already late for that advice.

_I already know what her lips feel like. _

* * *

**February 3, Friday:**

"Sa-chan, I am sorry about making a commotion."

Sakuno was a bit shocked on Milfie's words. The pink-haired girl visited her three days later. The girl was somewhat upset on what she did publicly on TV. She waved her hands in front of her and said, "I-ie, w-why are you apologizing to me anyway?"

Milfie grabbed her hands making her flinch, "I swear, I don't have feelings for Ryoma-san."

She blinked on her words, "M-milfie-chan…"

"You like him, don't you?"

She blushed this time as she looked away, "W-what are you saying, Y-you know that I have a fiancé."

"I know you do but," She squeezed her hands making her look back; "I noticed the way you looked at him during your dance. I understand you because… I am also in love with someone."

She looked at the girl and noticed her sad expression. She returned the squeeze and said, "Milfie-chan…"

"But I know that he would never love me back. It's impossible."

"D-don't say that. At least you could try."

Milfie shook her head and said, "S-sono muri desu. You can not love the person which is your blood-related."

Sakuno's eyes widened. She looked at how painful her face was. She was shocked as she couldn't believe on what she had said to her, "D-do you mean…?"

She nodded and smiled bitterly, "You guessed it right. I am in love with my half-brother. I am in love with Christopher-san."

She was speechless. She couldn't believe what the girl said right now. Noticing that she was not going to say anything she continued;

"It is impossible and it is also forbidden. I know." Milfie looked down trying to control her tears from falling, "Even though we are half-siblings, that doesn't change the fact that we are related."

She just stared at her, not knowing what to say. All she could was returned the squeezed she had given to her hands.

"But I am alright, I already accepted that," she smiled at her and said, "I'll let him go. I won't steal him from you."

She blushed on her words and retorted, "M-mou, Milfie-chan, t-there's nothing going on with us, e-even though we are betrothed."

"Yeah, you are in love with Ryoma-san but you are stuck with Christopher-san."

Her blush increased to the possibility. She was stronger than she could imagine.

Milfie look at her and said, "Consider me crazy, but I am not upset when I learned that you are going to be his fiancée. In fact, I still like you." She smiled after saying her words.

She smiled back at her and replied, "I-I like you too… thank you Milfie-chan."

But soon, Milfeulle's happy expression became sad, "W-what's wrong."

She looked away, "b-because of my stupid feelings, I made someone hurt."

"E-eh? W-who?"

"You know him well, Sa-chan, he's a tennis player too, He's yours and Ryoma-san's senpai."

Sakuno raked her memory as she tried to remember someone. Then, she remembered what Ryoma told her the other night, "K-kikumaru-senpai?"

She blushed and nodded as confirmation. Then, she told her everything, as in _everything_… well except the fact that it was Christopher who told her that… from the call, the date, the talk and the kiss.

Sakuno blushed on her story. _Milfie-chan's first kiss was Kikumaru-senpai… n-not Ryoma-kun. _Due to Milfeulle's story, she remembered all the kisses that she and Ryoma shared, from the indirect and weird kisses until the purification thing. She blushed more as she remembered those kisses.

"I-I don't know if you could forgive me."

Milfeulle cut her from her embarrassing reverie when she talked. She noticed that she was crying that time. She comforted her by simply placing her hand on her back, "Don't say that… I've known Kikumaru-senpai for three years. I know that he would understand you."

"H-he is so kind and I only took advantage of it." She said sobbing on her hands, "He's not answering my call anymore."

Sakuno thought hard. When she was talking about her unrequited love for Christopher, she almost cried but when she only made a mistake to Eiji, she did cry. She was reading something about her. While thinking a possible way, an idea popped into her head, "M-milfie-chan, I-I think I can help you."

"H-how?" she looked at her curiously.

She walked away from her and grabbed her phone, "I also have Kikumaru-senpai's number. If you call him using my number I'm sure he will pick it up."

She looked at her with bewilderment and continued, "A-are you sure about this?"

"Of course," she smiled, "he will answer because he thought that it is me who's calling him."

"Sa-chan, why are you so kind? Despite that I did mean things to you."

She shook her head and said, "I don't blame you. R-ryoma-kun and I understood each other so we're okay, now."

She smiled after that and thanked her.

"Call him now." She jerked the phone to her hand which she slowly accepted it. Finding the number of Eiji, she felt that her heart beat faster.

* * *

**Meanwhile:**

It happened three days ago, when they learned about Sakuno's leave for America. Everyone was shocked about the news but they also knew that it was the best for the girl. Ryoma didn't say anything when he heard the news. He hadn't been commenting for that ever since. He also learned that he was not allowed to see Sakuno for a couple of months and somehow, he didn't want that. He gripped his racket really as he faced the wall and rallied with it.

Oishi and Eiji were staring at the youngest regular member. They felt the same what the boy was feeling right now. They couldn't suggest anything for now. Unlike before, they could tease the boy to no end but everything was definitely different now. They hoped that everything would be alright.

They were cut from observing when they heard Eiji's phone rang. He yanked her phone and blinked twice to see who the caller was. Oishi looked at his doubles partner.

"Well, why don't you answer it?" Oishi said.

"Y-yeah, b-but its Ryuzaki-chan's calling?" he thought as he couldn't believe that the girl was really calling him, "d-did she call the right person?"

"Just answer it, and you will know."

He shrugged as he answered the call, 'Hoi, hoi, Ryuzaki-chan, this is not Ochibi's number. Were you by any chance dialed the wrong number?' he chuckled thinking of teasing the girl a little before giving his phone to Ryoma, but his plan was ruined when the person who talked wasn't Sakuno.

'E-eiji-kun?'

He was a bit shocked when he heard the voice on the other line, 'M-milfie-chan?'

'H-hai, atashii da yo,' Milfie said. He could sense her trembling from her voice, 'P-please don't hang up. L-let me explain-'

'W-why are you calling in Ryuzaki-chan's phone?' He cut her. His voice was not energetic as before. Oishi noticed him. He already knew who was calling at that time.

'B-because… y-you are not answering my call-'

'Are you in Ryuzaki-chan's place?'

'H-hai… Eiji-kun, please listen to me-'

'Aah! You are lucky because you can see Ryuzaki-chan there.'

'E-eiji-kun-'

"Hoi,Hoi Ochibi, Milfie-chan's with Ryuzaki-chan!" he said announcing the news to everyone.

"Eiji talked to her seriously." Oishi waved at him. While Ryoma continued rallying on the wall after the short notice.

'Eiji-kun… I understand if you can not forgive me-'

'Is she okay, she's not in danger right?'

She paused. She didn't say a word. Eiji was ignoring her completely. She looked down as she was about to drop the call.

'Come and see me today if you are free, ja.'

With that, he dropped the call and yanked it back in his pocket, "Now, where were we?"

Oishi, Fuji and Momo looked at him. Inui wrote something that he had witnessed. Oishi tapped his shoulder and said;

"That's more like you."

Eiji grinned at him and said nothing after that.

* * *

**Later that night:**

Capella visited her that night. The boy missed her and she was very thankful that the bodyguards allowed him to stay with her at that night. It was Fakir's turn to guard her so she could go outside without hassle. The bodyguard was just there somewhere with his trusted men.

Sakuno asked Capella to sit beside her on the bed. She was reading a book from her literature subject. Capella looked at the book that she was reading. She could see the boy frown on what she was reading.

"These words are so difficult to read," He said, "Nee-chan, can you understand them?"

She giggled on his questions, "Well, I am trying to understand their lines. There are some scenes and lines that I can remember."

"Really, whose story is this anyway?"

She closed the book and looked at the picture. Capella looked at the picture too. The boy seemed to read a little and he read the letters which were written in bold.

"Ro- rom-eo and… Ju-juliet."

She smiled as she saw him try to read the title of that book, "Hai, its Romeo and Juliet." She looked at the boy who frowned. She giggled on his reaction, "Capella-kun, it's a love story although the ending is a tragic one."

"Tragic, why?"

She looked at the window to her side and whispered enough for the boy to hear, "Romeo and Juliet were lovers in the story but their family were eternal rivals. Because of their love that they had for each other, each member of both families was against it. Juliet faked her death which was unnoticed by Romeo and on Juliet's deathbed; he killed himself right before Juliet woke up. She saw her love that was lifeless beside her and ended up killing herself for real. To be with the one she loved."

"But they ended up together."

She looked down where Capella was, "I guess you're right, the power of love is really strong, even death couldn't stop it."

"It's sad that they died, I hope that they live though." Capella said lying down on her bed.

Sakuno smiled at him and then she continued to read the story. Good thing that her teacher gave her the plot of the story. She became interested when she learned the fate of the star-crossed lovers and began reading it. She needed her report for the story so she might give it a try. It was pretty hard because Shakespeare's English was kind of old and original. She needed to repeat those words over and over again and most of the time; she carried her dictionary with her.

Minutes past and she saw Capella sleeping peacefully on her bed, she giggled to see his sleeping reaction and at the same time she covered the boy with the blanket. She stood up and stretched. She looked outside. She grabbed her evening robe and wore it before walking outside the balcony. Her hair was put back into two braids discovering that she could make them only they were a bit shorter. She leaned on the blocked and stared at the autumn tree outside. Memories rushed into her mind as she remembered some scenes that happened between him and her. But her memories suddenly turned down when she remembered about her departure.

Tennessee.

She sighed as she thought about her going to that state and planned to stay there for months that she didn't know how long. She was away from her grandmother for long but she would be longer away from her once she left Japan a week from now. She wouldn't be seeing her friends at Seigaku.

She wouldn't be seeing him.

She felt that the story of the star-crossed lovers was better than her own life. Romeo and Juliet fulfilled their lives and ended up together even though they ended up in a tragic way. It was sad but she liked the story. Out of the reverie she suddenly whispered;

"O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?  
Deny thy father and refuse thy name;  
Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,  
And I'll no longer be a Capulet."

She looked down once she realized what she had said. She felt embarrassed about reciting the famous lines of Juliet that her teacher made her memorize. Good thing that no one heard that.

"Tis but thy name that is my enemy; —  
Thou art thyself though, not a Montague.  
What's Montague? It is nor hand, nor foot,  
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part  
Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!"

…Or not

She suddenly jerked her head up when someone spoke and answered her lines. She knew the voice, it was Romeo's lines although the way it was been answered was dull and out of emotion, like it said as reading as monotonously. She blushed when she saw him suddenly appearing to her side just below the balcony. His hat was lower than his eyes so she couldn't see his reaction.

"R-ryoma-kun." she uttered his name.

"I take thee at thy word:  
Call me but love, and I'll be new baptis'd;  
Henceforth I never will be Romeo."

Again, with the same tempo of tone he said another Romeo's lines. She wanted to laugh, the way he said his lines was awfully funny. If this was a play, they would be receiving stones instead of flowers from the audience. Ryoma looked up to see her. She blushed even more when he gave her a stare that was so intense. The boy was just below the balcony while she was leaning down to look at him and then she realized. _I-it was just like the scene where Romeo and Juliet met on a dreamy night… at a balcony. _Her thought was cut when the boy continued saying his lines... in a way that she didn't expect;

"Juliet, oh Juliet… " he started.

Sakuno held her breath as she waited for his next lines.

"Juliet, Juliet, let down your hair, so that I may climb the golden stair."

She blinked this time… and frowned. She couldn't remember the lines that he recited moments ago. And then she saw the boy smirk as he continued;

"If you don't," he paused for a while and then looked at her reaction, "then I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house down."

She sweat dropped and leaned back. She finally realized that he was using other lines of some other stories, "Mou, R-ryoma-kun! You don't put emotions on your lines but you know how to put the lines together, and in other stories."

"Heh," he grunted as he pinned his hat down, "I'll take that as a compliment."

She smiled as blush never left her, but then she remembered something, "W-what are you doing here?"

Ryoma stared at her first. He walked on the balcony and jumped on it. He sat on the block next to her while viewing the autumn tree; his feet were hanging below the balcony. Sakuno was still in the vicinity of her room and was leaning on the block were Ryoma was sitting. Then the boy talked, "I came to see you."

She gasped on his words, "W-why? T-this place is far from Seigaku. W-why go this far?" She looked down, she felt happy that Ryoma was there but upset at the same time. She didn't want to waste his time just to go to here where he could just spend his time playing tennis like he used to do.

"You're leaving."

She looked up to him. The boy was still staring at the autumn tree; she looked down once again, "S-seems like it. I-I should go, I don't want to trouble anyone anymore."

Ryoma didn't reply to her words so she continued, "My life is in danger. I-I am scared for myself but I don't want to involve anyone," she turned her back on the block that he was sitting. She was smiling when she said her next words, "I guess I feel relieve that if I am away from Seigaku and to my grandmother. At least I am not worried when something happens to me."

"Don't say that."

"I-I know… I'll try to be safe. Of course, I want to see everyone." _I want to see you. _She closed her eyes as she thought the last words that she didn't verbalize. She opened her eyes once again as she stared at her room where Capella was and smiled at the same time, "I'll definitely come back here to see all of you."

Ryoma's eyes widened as he stared at the girl. She looked different that night. The girl was leaving Japan. It was always him who left for Tournaments and returned weeks after but this time; the girl would be leaving Japan and didn't know when to return. Thinking the girl was off guard; he turned his body slightly to her side and reached to give her a tender kiss on the lips.

Her eyes widened in surprise. Her head was slightly tilted before she could react and touching his lips to hers. It was a soft touch that he was giving her before he finally released her.

He stared at her and smirked. He saw how the girl blushed on the kiss he gave her. He closed his eyes and leaned closer to her once again to give her another kiss.

Sakuno saw him coming so she leaned away before he touched her, "R-ryoma-kun, what are you doing?"

The boy looked at him as he was trying to read her expression. She blushed on the stare that he was giving. He was difficult to read most of the times. He returned to his original post and stared back on the tree in front of them.

"I don't get you."

She blinked her eyes twice. She must have imagining things but she thought she could sense disappointment in his voice when he spoke. She turned around as she tilted her head to his side, "I-it's you that I don't get, really. A-actually, you shouldn't be here in the first place. I still can't believe that you came here at this time of night."

"My tennis is here."

"R-ryoma-kun-"

"Figure that out," he looked at her once again, "You know how much I'm into tennis and I don't want anyone to steal it from me."

She blushed. It was the second time he said that to her but no matter how she tried to understand his words she couldn't get it unless he said another word in it. She shook her head mentally and spoke;

"I-it's getting late, please go home."

He was still looking at her before smirking and replied, "Why do we look like as 'that' star-crossed lovers now? Are we hiding from everybody?"

She blushed on his words, "M-mou, Ryoma-kun. I am not free anymore, remember. I am worried on what we are doing right now. T-this isn't right at all."

He leaned closer to her making her blush even more, "What is exactly are we doing right now? Can you elaborate that?"

She closed her eyes and looked away. He didn't know how hard it was for her, "P-please stop teasing me. Y-you are not helping me at all."

Ryoma stared at her but he didn't say anything. He closed his eyes as he sighed slowly. He then jumped off from the block and stood firm below. He put his hands into his pocket and said; "Romeo and Juliet's fate might be tragic…" he turned around and faced her.

She blinked her eyes twice waiting for the continuation. The boy just raised a hand and gestured her to bend closer… which she did. But she was not prepared on Ryoma's next action.

As soon as she bent, the boy's hand grabbed her one braided hair and pulled it down. Ryoma tilted up to reach for her lips and gave her a chaste kiss. She felt her heart skip a bit as their lips collided once again. He slowly let go of her and talked, "…but it will never happen to _us_."

Her eyes widened as she stared at him. Ryoma slowly walked backwards not leaving her eyes from his. He didn't smirk, smile nor grunt. He was showing her an intense and serious stare, "Ja mata na." with that, he turned around and went to _his_ secret pathway.

She stared at the direction Ryoma disappeared to. Her hand slowly reached for the lips the boy kissed twice today. Her first kiss was given because it was his birthday, the second time they kissed was because of her 'purification' and the last was his purification.

…But what about this time?

There was no reason behind it. She couldn't think of a possible way why the boy kissed her. She didn't want to get her hopes up. If the boy did feel something for her, things would be complicated.

And she was afraid of the possible outcome.

She walked back to her room and to her bed. She looked at the sleeping boy on her bed. She climbed there and sat beside the sleeping boy. After a few seconds of staring, Sakuno slowly lifted the boy and put him on her lap. She hugged Capella very tight making the boy wake up in the process.

"N-nee-chan?..." he whispered as he blinked twice, trying to understand what was happening around him, "y-you are squishing me. W-what's happening?"

She heard his questions but she never answered them. She buried her face to his neck and started to sob.

"A-are you crying?" Capella asked innocently.

"C-capella-kun…" she whispered as tears fell down her eyes.

Capella tapped her back who was still oblivious why she cried that night but he chose not to ask anymore as he tried to calm his big sister, "There, there, don't cry now."

Faint sobs could be heard all through the night that only the two of them could hear.

* * *

**Next Morning:**

The young teen asked her to go to a park near the school. Her heart was beating as fast as she walked closer to the boy who was sitting on a bench. She was facing his back so he didn't see her coming. She took the courage to get his attention;

"E-eiji-kun…"

The acrobatic player turned around as he heard her call his name. She flinched when he did that, "A-ano…" she bit her lower lip as she walked in front of him. Eiji was looking at her. His usual expression was not there anymore. She felt guilty about it. She looked down as she fidgeted with her fingers, "E-iji-kun… g-gomenasai. I-I was blinded… I-it's just that, I didn't know what's gotten into me. R-ryoma-san understood me but I still felt guilty about it."

"…"

"I-if you can't forgive me, its okay. I-I will understand it." She closed her eyes really hard. She tried to hold her tears as she gripped her hands beside her. She feared what would Eiji said but he remained silent.

She was about to apologize once more and planned to ran away only to be hold back by his words;

"…Two things."

"E-eh?" she looked up and stared at him. Eiji stood up making her panic in her position.

"First, do not—no never abandon me whenever I ask you on a date." He said staring at her eyes. He stopped in front of her, "and second," he tipped her chin up and claimed her lips with his to give her a kiss chastely.

Her eyes widened in surprise. Eiji was kissing her and she couldn't react. He ended the kiss seconds later and leaned back a little. He grinned after giving that not missing to blush a little, "Make sure that I will respond the next time you'll do that," he looked away as he said her next words, "Or vice versa."

She was surprised on his words. Now she felt that same thing when Eiji didn't reply to her kiss before. She was happy and she didn't know why. She quickly hugged the boy as she started to cry, "A-arigatou, Eiji-kun."

He laughed as he blushed, "N-nee, calm down. You're so funny Milfie-chan." He returned her hug and felt satisfied.

Unknown to them, a tensai, a data analyzer, a mother hen, a burger freak and a stern teenage boy were watching the scene that they were giving. They found a new tease much to the latter's relief.

And they found it to a certain acrobatic player.

* * *

**Done! How was this chapter? This was longer that I expected. Next chapter will be Sakuno's Arrival to Tennessee and the other mysteries in the story. More surprises to come.**

**Why? Tennessee? It's because it has something to do with my work… tee hee hee… I definitely know the place… Well… yeah… I hope you like this…**

**Vocab:**

**Sono muri desu – that's impossible.**

**Atashii da yo – It's me. **

**Tee hee hee… I guess… Rin-chan did guess the song right… say… I did mention you a lot… but don't worry… I love doing it… Be like her and I will be very happy…**

* * *

**Another one… let's see if it works…**

_'Shirazu shirazuni hatte ita no wa shiro-kuro sutekkaa de_

_Daiji na mono bokura wa kakushite shimatte ita_

_Takara no ishi yori hana yori hoshi no akari yori kirei na_

_Yume to iu na no horoguramu o zawameki o'_

**This song is easy… can you guess the title of this one…? it's a theme song of… tee hee hee…****I****don't own the song by the way…**** just sharing the love of it**_**…**_

* * *

**I do not own Romeo and Juliet, Rapunzel and the Three Little Pigs lines never in my life... That is crystal clear... capiche?**

**Reviews Please! I need to hear your thoughts. Motivate me to write more.**

**Next Chapter: The City of Blues**


	31. The City of Blues

**I AM BACK! Actually I don't know what to write next. I am not inspired for the moment… Motivate me guys… I don't know what's happening to me… I am lacking of energy… sigh… anyway… I hope you like this chapter… ^_^**

**Something came up:**

**I am a bit upset and… pissed. Why? I can't think straight now that my mind is somehow blocked. Why? My Ryoma plushie and Ciel Phantomhive action figure in his Lolita dress (Well its okay for Ciel though) are not with me anymore. Why? My 'boy' friend just stole it while resting on my bed. That nerve. I am affected. Why? The plushie is **_**ONLY **_**my secret weapon to continue updating weekly with these two fics. Now I don't have it. I hug Ryoma and ideas popping inside my brain in an instant while listening to his singles. I guess you wonder why I could update in time…**

**Ryoma plushie is really my weapon… and right now… I am disoriented… Ahhh! And Absolute Couple is about to end… need to recollect those scenes in my brain again… I posted his memories on my networking site… I miss my plushie already… and my ideas too… err… they are not working properly.**

**My friend told me that I can only have Ryoma back when I get to write **_**his**_** LEMON fic. Again! I told him to give me some time now he's giving me an 'ultimatum' telling me that he gave me enough time already. So I promised him that his so-awaited fic will be posted before the end of the month. I need his help to this… I told him that I can not write without my plushie… He will give Ryoma back to me if he saw writing his fic… finish or not… LEMON is not my thingy but he told me that I'll do fine and he'll support me as he said… He was convincing though… don't you think? **

**So if you think your stomach could take that… I guess I can ASK you to read it in the future… but if you are only into pure romance please DON'T… I BEG YOU… thanks…**

**Well… I am glad I managed to finish this chapter before Ryoma was stolen away from me… So enjoy… I've been complaining a lot… Sorry about that. Ignore this please… Skip to Chapter 31 now… ;P**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Ang Prinsipe ng Tennis' never have and never will. Capiche?**

* * *

**Anonymous13 - tee hee hee... that thought was inserted on the last minute though... I am glad that you like that one... Yeah... just to make the serious scenes a bit funny... Well... I am into Romeo and Juliet either... I just thought of bringing some here... nyways... thank you for still liking the last chapter... I hope you like this one too... ^_^**

**Yumi014 - I am glad that you the messed up lines of Ryoma there... thank you very much...**

**Definitely... I will tell you... I'll finish the RyoSaku fic that I am reading first and then I'll the one that you recommended... I hope I will not act ridiculous in front of my station once I started reading it... I can imagine myself like that now... tee hee hee... ;P**

**Yeah... Eiji acted serious for a while but it was just a cover to get a little 'revenge' from Milfie before completely forgiving her... He's back to being energetic again... and you will see more of them in the future... Yeah... It was Ryoma... he sighed of relief there alright... ^_^**

**The answer will be at the bottom of this chapter... check it out... ^_^ **

* * *

**Chapter 31: The City of Blues**

**Chapter Summary: She went away far from before. They talked about it and he was surprised for another unexpected thing.**

* * *

_'Put on my blue suede shoes_

_And I boarded the plane_

_Touched down in the land of the Delta Blues_

_In the middle of the pouring rain_

_Walking in Memphis _

_Walking with my feet ten feet off the Beale_

_Walking in Memphis_

_But do I really feel the way I feel…'_

_~Lonestar – Walking in Memphis~_

* * *

Sightseeing outside the street of Beale, Sakuno was trying to hold her excitement to appreciate the view that she was seeing. She shouldn't be enjoying at all.

For Pete's sake, her life was in danger that's why she was hiding… hiding from her pursuer that she didn't know… hiding to keep her life intact. In short, she was not free to move anymore. Her bodyguards were doubled. Although, Fakir, Ahiru and Capella were not there, Drosselmeye kept her company making sure that she would be safe at all angles. Fakir and Ahiru were left in the mansion as her parents asked them to do something else. Capella was left behind thinking that the boy would be safe inside the mansion. She felt sad that either of her friends wasn't right there with her.

She was stuck in an unknown place of Memphis, Tennessee.

Her reverie was cut when someone tapped her shoulder. She looked at her side and stared at the blonde boy beside her.

"We're almost there, prepare yourself." Chris told her. Sakuno nodded.

Minutes later, they arrived in front of the cozy hotel. Sakuno felt a little relieved that the hotel was not 'grand' unlike from the other hotels that they stayed before. She remembered about her conversation with her parents as they planned on her hiding place. The culprit would be searching for seven-star hotels and mansions if the person discovered her disappearance. So a get-up like this was a perfect disguise for her. She got rid of her Lolita dresses for the meantime and stayed as a normal girl. Her hair was tied down from her back minus the plaits.

She was an ordinary girl to be exact. No one could guess that she was a Kitazawa after all.

As they entered the hotel, a young man with a decent suit welcomed them. Sakuno wondered a little when Chris approached the young man and gave him a light hug. Chris looked at her and introduced the young man;

"Sakuno, I want you to meet Wein, Meyers Wein . He's an A-rank soldier and my close friend," Chris said and then looked at him, "Wein, This Kitawaza Sakuno. My fiancée."

Sakuno stared at the blue haired guy in front of her. He looked nice but something in him that she couldn't quite get. _Wait his name sounds familiar. Where did I hear it? _She thought as she frowned trying to remember. She flinched a little when the guy offered his hand to her.

"Nice to meet you, Sakuno-san," he smiled mysteriously, "It's a pleasure to meet you although; I didn't expect that we would meet at this circumstance. I am sorry about this."

She blushed a little as she responded, shaking her hand to his, "I-it's okay, n-nice to meet you too, M-meyers-san." She quickly released her hand to his when she imagined that the guy squeezed her hand. She didn't want to offend him but she felt uneasy when he did that.

"Well, Sakuno is tired; I'll take her to her room now." Chris announced to him as he grabbed Sakuno's elbow and led her to the staircase.

Sakuno couldn't look back to Meyers as she sensed that she wouldn't like what she was about to see if she tried. She allowed Chris to lead her to her room. Her room was only on third floor and there was a small terrace. She explored her room entirely and discovered that the terrace had a clear view on Beale street. The place was nice and she felt like a Ryuzaki girl once again.

"I can't believe Uncle chose this place for you."

She looked at him and said, "I-it's perfect for a disguise though," she looked down as she touched her bed, "I-I don't mind this place at all."

Chris looked at her for a while. Later, he walked closer to girl and gave her a gentle embrace. He felt her gasp on his hug and said, "I am sorry that you put into this."

She blushed on his action and his words, "C-chris-kun…" her eyes widened when the blonde boy tightened his hug and she felt him… trembling as he did that.

"I promise… I'll protect you at all cost."

She was speechless on his words. Her widened eyes became soft as she touched his back making assurance to her words, "A-arigatou… Chris-kun."

* * *

**One week later, Japan:**

Sumire, Tezuka, Fuji, Inui and Oishi were having a private conversation with Reinja, Reina and Fakir that weekend. They tried to put more information together to clear the case.

"According to Inui, it seems that a possible heir is still alive." Tezuka said as he looked at the average lord, "and this heir is probably the child of your older brother, Rafael."

Reinja was leaning on the table as he thought hard, "I had hunched that possibility long ago but we don't know where to find the child. We didn't even know whether the child was a boy or a girl."

"Wait," Reina interrupted, "I remembered Rafael's wife muttering about a boy before disappearing that night."

"So, the child was probably a boy," Fuji said, "Do you know where we can start looking at your brother's family?"

Reina interrupted before Reinja could speak, "W-why are you searching for his brother? Remember that we are trying to solve the case so that Sakuno will be safe."

Fuji looked at her and explained, "I would like to say that searching Mr. Rafael's whereabouts is definitely a great help your daughter's safety. I also have the instinct that the culprit is also looking for that child. We would like to put the heirs together and make a stronger bond for them."

"I thought that he's the one responsible for this?"

"That's not proven, Sire," Inui said opening his notebook, "Mr. Rafael wouldn't be targeting Ryuzaki-chan if he had an heir unless he wouldn't want to share the inheritance with her."

"We need to find your brother's heir to make things clear." Fuji looked at both of them.

"What if he's really the one behind all of this?" Reina asked the crowd.

Fuji leaned a little closer, "Pardon for asking this but, if your relative is really responsible, what are you going to do?"

Reina and Reinja looked at the tensai and thought hard. Reinja answered him, "I'll do the right thing. I won't mind giving my inheritance if the heir is worth it."

"What if the heir doesn't?"

"Then," the lord paused, "I'll fight for Sakuno's right."

"Nice answer for a rightful owner of this mansion."

Everyone looked at the door. The Kitazawa household stared at the group of teens who entered together with Ahiru. Fuji and Tezuka stood up and approached them.

"Thank you for helping us, Atobe." Tezuka said.

"Betsuni," The captain of Hyotei Gakuen Chuutou Bu nodded and looked at the reigning couple, "Ore-sama no bigi ni yoi na."

"Saa let's resume on our conversation," Fuji said leading then to seat with the others and then he noticed something, "Ah, Arima-san can you stay inside?"

"E-eh?" Before Ahiru could ask another question, the Seigaku tensai just nodded at her and then went back to his seat. The maid looked at the knight who was staring at her all along. Blush rushed to her face as she looked away.

Reina looked at a certain person who just entered with the group. The teen looked at her direction then she finally remembered.

"You must be the guy who helped my daughter from being humiliated on the dance floor that night."

The young teen bowed in front of them, "Yes sire, ma'am. I am glad that everything went well that night."

The fair lady found herself smiling as she remembered that night where the guy played another music that followed by leading Sakuno on the dance floor with the other Seigaku teen, "What's your name, young man?"

The young guy looked at him and then politely answered, "Yushi, Oshitari Yushi."

"I would like to thank you for that night, Oshitari-san."

"Iie, I am just trying to help." The Hyotei genius politely said.

"Speaking of help," Atobe intervened, "My whole team is willing to help you with the case. Yushi here is our genius player so you can combine the knowledge with the Seigaku genius player."

Fuji just smiled at Hyotei captain's comments.

"I just want you to inform and gather data from us," Reinja looked at them, "I strongly forbid you to take unnecessary actions."

"We would like to help with the search, Mr. Kitazawa," Atobe announced, "My sources have lead where we can search for people that you are looking for." Atobe looked at Oshitari earning a nod from the tensai.

"According to my sources, your brothers are probably living outside Japan now. As for the extended searching that I made this past few days, three countries were the possible places that they were hiding. …In America, Greece and Azerbaijan."

"That means, we can start searching for those places," Sumire said who looked at the Hyotei genius, "we can not do that without doing an orbital search unless it's weekend."

"We can take care of Greece and Azerbaijan for searching," Atobe said looking at Oshitari and Kabaji who both nodded, then he looked back in front, "Echizen is pretty familiar in America; he might as well good to go there."

"Remember we need to do the search quickly," Sumire said, "I can not let the boys stay out from the school grounds for long."

"Sensei," Tezuka called the attention of his coach, "I won't mind sending Fuji and Echizen there for a week."

Fuji was a bit surprised on Tezuka's words. Sumire stared at the captain trying to make sure if he meant what he said.

"Are you sure?" she voiced her thought still.

Tezuka nodded, "Of all the regulars, Fuji has the brain while Echizen has the eye. I'll only give them a week for search."

"There's more." Oshitari interrupt them catching their attention, he continued, "There's a slight hint that the heir is also probably hiding or should I say living a normal life here in Japan, somewhere outside Tokyo."

"Then it's good, we can find your brother there." Reina was enlightened a little as she looked at her husband, "We should start searching the area."

"I am afraid that's not easy." Atobe cut them.

"W-what? Why?" The fine lady frowned at his words, "Searching in other countries is hard and that's clear but I don't see that it's hard searching inside Japan."

"That's the point, there's a possibility that he would be hiding more if he discovered that we are searching for him," Atobe explained, "we don't know if he's the culprit yet or he would be hiding from the culprit as well. He might be misunderstood us that way."

"Why is that different in the other countries?" Reinja asked the Hyotei captain.

Fuji answered this time, "In fact, it's not. There's a possibility that it will be the same too. It's a good idea to send Echizen in the country for he once belonged there."

"Don't worry; I'll make sure that we will look like Citizens in other two countries." Oshitari assured them.

Silence occurred inside the room. Ahiru and Fakir were both sensing each other but thinking different thoughts. Ahiru felt uneasy about the conversation. She wondered why she was asked to stay there and for what purpose. On the other hand, Fakir was slowly absorbing the information he had gathered so far.

"Just let me clear something, who are we really searching for?" Gakuto who talked for the first time looked at them.

Inui looked inside his notebook and answered the Hyotei's acrobatic player's question, "We are searching for two people and a possible heir. There's an 85% that the heir is still alive which is happens to be Rafael's child."

Ahiru was a bit shocked on Inui's announcement. She didn't hear him right, right? She didn't mention _him. _Her ears were deceiving her that she needed to buy a pair of hearing aids to her sense. She looked down as she bit her lower lip and at the same time she gripped her hands tight. Good thing that her hands were behind her so no one could notice that they were trembling from her back. None of the people saw her reaction.

…Except for one.

Fakir was staring at her and she was oblivious of that. He knew it, something was going on and Ahiru knew it. But she was bothered on the knowledge that she was keeping with her. He could sense that the maid was scared of whatever knowledge that she was keeping to herself.

"After that incident of Sakuno's birthday, there isn't any suspicious movement inside the mansion too." Reinja said clasping his hands in front of him, "what bother's me is the letter that you got before."

Fakir was a bit shocked as the lord looked at him. Ahiru tried her best to look normal as she raised her head.

"Fakir, you got that letter from someone that you don't know," He asked earning a nod, "that letter was proven true probably that the person could be trusted. Are you sure that you don't know who sent that to you?"

He bowed before saying his words, "My apologies, Reinja-sama, but I really don't know."

Reinja sighed when he heard his answer, "There are two reasons why the sender remained unnamed. The sender is probably afraid to be found out by the culprit or…"

Silence was erupted in the room once again but Reinja himself broke it.

"The sender somewhat knows that there is a traitor inside the mansion."

Another deafening silence invaded the room. No one spoke as if they respected the silent moment. They didn't know how long until someone spoke;

"What if…"

They looked at the maid who had the guts to speak that time.

"What if… the sender is actually the traitor?" Ahiru said looking at them.

"That could be," Oshitari said pushing his nonprescription glasses to his nose, "but there's no indication that the sender would do something as dangerous as that. "

"There's 87% that the sender almost risk its life just to give that information. There's also 50% that the sender is still oblivious of the real reason." Inui calculated.

She looked down as she apologized for butting in.

"Let's just be cautious from now on," Reinja looked at the maid and the knight, "Fakir, Ahiru I want you to keep on what you heard today as a secret even to your official, you hear me."

"Hai!" They both said in unison.

"Also, I want you two to search for Rafael's child outside Tokyo as soon as possible." Reinja ordered them.

"Hai!" Fakir answered. Ahiru became wide-eyed but later hid it and nodded as quickly as she could.

"This is a top-secret mission for both teams." Atobe said, "I want you to do your job. Ohtori, Shishido gather information about places in Greece, Gakuto and Oshitari you do the same in Azerbaijan."

Two pairs of doubles partner both nodded.

"Kabaji… you go with me."

"Usu!"

"There goes for us." Fuji announced, "I'll go with Echizen in America in one week time."

"So everything is settled. Fuji-san, you can go with us as we are about to leave for America three days from now, if you won't mind."

Fuji looked at his coach and the captain. Both of them nodded and then looked back and bowed at the couple still smiling, "We'll be honored to be your acquaintance."

* * *

**Later on:**

They left the mansion some time ago. Atobe suggested taking them back to Seigaku so they had time to discuss something else.

"The girl instantly became an heiress, huh?" Atobe said.

"We didn't expect it to happen though." Fuji said and then looked at Sumire. The coach closed her eyes and then spoke;

"Long story, Atobe. I don't have the feel of telling you."

"It's okay, we knew already. Besides," Atobe said and then looked at their own tensai, "Ore-sama loves thrilling actions."

"Just take care of yourself. Make sure no one gets hurt on this mission." Sumire said looking all worried for all of them.

"You have my word, Ryuzaki-sensei."

* * *

**At the same time, Seigaku:**

They were both tired as they finished having matches that time. Tezuka left the practice to Oishi as they went to the mansion. Ryoma wanted to go but the captain refused to his request. Being a stubborn kid, he tried to persuade his captain but no to avail. In the end, he played tennis as long as he could.

He felt frustrated not because he didn't manage to go with them.

It was because of the girl.

Sakuno had been avoiding his calls for unknown reasons. Ever since the girl travelled to America, he couldn't get in touch with her. He felt like the girl was doing it on purpose. He gritted his teeth when he learned that the blonde boy was with her in the same hotel that she was staying. Her parents couldn't go with her until three days later. He would do something to reach her tonight.

She should answer his call before he would _desperately _raid her himself in America.

Soon after, the people who went to the mansion arrived and told everything to the others what they conversed that day. After they learned the information, Ryoma secretly smirked.

Who would've thought that the raid would come true in the later days?

* * *

**Memphis, Tennessee;**

'_Mada mada dane.'_

Chris looked at a certain TV that was displayed just outside a store. It was an open area that's why he could hear the person who was being interviewed on TV. Sakuno looked at his way and saw the boy there. She looked away for an unknown reason but he didn't notice it instead he asked the girl something.

"Hey, what does 'mada mada dane' mean?"

She looked up to him, "eh?" she blinked a couple of times and thought hard and then smiled at him. What shocked the blonde boy was she answered him in English;

"**You still have lots more to work on."**

He blinked his eyes twice and then looked back at the screen. Sakuno found him amusing that she ended up giggling.

"What's so funny?"

"N-nothing."

**xxx**

They were able to walk at least a few meters away from Beale Street. At least, she managed to explore the Street of South Main and Richwood… with Chris of course.

In two days time, her parents would be there to accompany her. There was a time that she met Wein along the hallway and whenever she met the boy, the feeling that she felt relived within her. She didn't know but she felt something was missing. She didn't want to be alone with the soldier.

With that she felt relieved that Chris was there to accompany her.

"When Auntie and Uncle arrived after three days… I'll ask permission to them that I'll take you to some place… or rather to another country." Chris suddenly said cutting her from her reverie.

"E-eh?"

"Don't worry, it's just a day and we are going to use our chauffer that is provided by America so we can go home in no time," Chris announced, "I don't want you worry. I'll assure you that you are safe with me."

Sakuno looked at him and smiled genuinely, "A-arigatou, Chris-kun."

Chris smiled back at her. He held her hand that made the girl flinch on the sudden touch. The boy led her back not missing to eat first at Rizzo's Diner before returning home at their hotel.

**xxx **

He was calling her once again. Her heart was beating so fast that night. She didn't want to talk to him for a while. She had been avoiding him for the whole week and she knew that the boy was pissed at her now.

She covered her ears and closed her eyes so that she could be blinded by the light that was coming from neither her phone nor the sound of its ringing tone.

Her mind was still clouded; she promised to herself that she would talk to himself one day but not now. _Gomen ne, Ryoma-kun. I need to be alone for a while as my mind is really complicated. Answering your call might be a bad idea. I am scared to know how much I miss you once I hear your voice. _She bit her lower lip as she still heard her phone's ringing tone.

She missed the boy alright. And she scared to discover her own feelings.

She was longing to see him.

She hated to admit it.

She was not available anymore.

She didn't have the freedom.

She didn't want to choose.

She hated it.

She missed him.

She _desperately_ missed him.

She was filled with mixed feelings when her phone suddenly made sounds. She didn't realize that the ringing tone was long stopped and then she noticed a message on it. It came from him.

She hesitantly reached for her phone and read the message. Her eyes widened when she read his message.

'_Ignoring me is useless; I'll definitely come and chase you.'_

She couldn't get what his message mean. She felt that his message was telling her something. _It couldn't be… it's impossible. O-obaa-chan wouldn't let him. There's school to catch and an upcoming tournament to battle with._ She thought really hard. However, the message made her heart beat at such irregular rate.

Also, she couldn't stop herself from blushing that night.

* * *

**Done! How was this chapter? This will be longer than absolute couple so stay tuned for more chapters… I have the ideas and how to end this already but the problem was… how to put them into words… well anyway… I know I can think of something… I hope you won't stop supporting this fic…**

**Anyway the street and places being mentioned in Memphis are all real… meaning I don't own the places just love to share what I know… I also do not own Lonestar's Walking in Memphis being used above.**

**Vocab : **

**Ore-sama no bigi ni yoi na – Be awed at the sight of my prowess, Atobe's famous quote.**

**Wein Meyers – I got the idea from Galaxy Angel's characters. The name came from two characters from the said anime. Wein from EDEN and Takuto Meyers. Wein has blonde hair so he can be considered as a bishounen type but his character was more than meets the eye. Takuto Meyers has blue hair. Meyers is considered as a skirt chaser in the anime and later became a protagonist in the latest series. I combined Wein and Takuto's personality that's why Wein Meyers was created; Wein's probability's split personality and Takuto's almost weird personality.**

**Tee hee hee… you guessed song title right:**

**DearestELFriend – you know anime alright… it doesn't seem that you have limit knowledge about anime songs… tee hee hee…**

**Yumi014 – well… you are half-right and half-wrong… tee hee hee but I can consider it. It's Nico touches the wall alright but it's not from Naruto…**

**The song title last chapter was Hologram by Nico touches the wall from Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. Thank you for answering… tee hee hee… I do not own the song… never even in my second life… **

* * *

**Can you guess this next song… it's okay to ask…? ?**

'_Sabishii kara sugarou_

_Sonna mono de ii ja nai ka_

_Kagirareta mama chiri yuku utsukushisa yo_

_Kondo koso wa wakarou_

_Tenohira de sukueru hodo no_

_Yasashisa o tsumete'_

* * *

**Tell me your thoughts please… thank you very much…. I am DOOMED… sighed… I hope I'll survive this… (*sobs… Ryoma plushie… sobs*)**

**Next Chapter: Depend on You**


	32. Depend on You

**Hi there! I am here again… Sigh… this is getting longer… I don't know how many chapters C.T's going to have. What do you think guys? Anyways, I hope you like this one…**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own TeniPuri and never will.**

* * *

**Anon - thank you very much for liking this fic... aww thank you there is someone like you is supporting me... Yeah... I am currently having that problem now but I'll stand up...but thank that you are still there... I'll try my best... although I miss my plushie a lot... I'll have it as my inspiration instead... I'll keep this fic updated as possible as I can... thank you... ^_^**

**Yumi014 - aw... I will be glad if you will cover up for me... but If I'll do all that... he will probably never return my plushie anymore and I will be more in trouble... Aside from that plushie is my weapon for ideas, it also helps me sleep after writing a chapter everyday. It is silly of me to depend on such plushie just to sleep... I can't help it, I got used to it now... but anyway... sometimes I have the URGE to get back at him like you told me to do... (don't worry... I'll get back at him when the time comes... waah I hope he won't read this or I'll be doomed.) eep!**

**Maybe you are right... I must be crazy right now... and doing something that I am not use to is like a challenge to me... Maybe I just needed some motivation to get persuaded... and stealing Ryoma from me might be the key... I'll never maybe... I'll thank him in the future... I'll see to that.**

**Tee hee hee you are right... Ignorance is the main topic for now but not for long... Sakuno is still a mada mada dane to him... ;P**

**Well for now its blurred. Some may think that he was faking it but sooner or later they may understand his true feelings to her... I think I can give you this... Ryoma will never be challenged more if Chris is not really in love with Sakuno, right? We will get there soon... ^_^**

* * *

**Chapter 32: Depend on You**

**Chapter Summary: She changed. He was surprised. One must depend to the other. The question was… who? The others were starting to make their move. Find that out.**

* * *

_ 'Do you want to try believing in a single beam of light?_

_Or would you prefer to quiver in darkness?_

_There is definitely one person who needs you_

_And that person who needs you would definitely always be smiling by your side_

_It's even okay to throw everything else out as it begins from here_

_The story of the two of us is filled with worries and hopes…'_

_~ Ayumi Hamasaki – Depend on You (Thousand Arms) ~_

* * *

"Come back if you find any information about my brother." Reinja announced to Fakir and Ahiru who were about to leave that very moment.

Fakir was the one to nod at the lord's words, "We will do our best to find your brother's heir sire."

"That's good; I am counting on the both of you."

With that, the knight and the maid both bowed in front of the couple before leaving the place. On their way they both met Kraehe the entrance of the main door.

"Sir Drosselmeye said that you shouldn't do reckless stunts sir Fakir; he is expecting a great news from you when you come back." the leader told him.

Fakir nodded as a sign of confirmation, "I won't fail him."

"Hey, Ahiru, be sure to get ready once you get back here. They won't get easy on you."

She flinched when Kraehe said that but nodded afterwards, "H-hai."

They continued to walk away.

"What was that about?" Fakir whispered to her ear when they were a bit far from them.

"She was talking about your fans. They would be probably jealous that I ended up to be your partner for searching instead of them. I guess life wasn't very easy from the beginning." She sweat dropped as she said her last words to him.

"Hmmm, I see. I am not interested with them." With that, he held her hand making her flinch, "I'll make them see that."

Ahiru blushed on his action. Then she remembered Capella. She was worried that the boy was going to be left behind. She wanted to take the kid with them but she knew that it was not safe to do that. She talked to the boy last night and made him understand why he couldn't go with them. Of course, Capella cried and accidentally called her 'Mom' without warning. She let him for a while. She promised him that she would be back and made him promise to be a good boy when she returned.

Her reverie was cut when she felt Fakir's hand tightened on hers. She looked at him who was looking at a distance.

"Don't worry, he'll be fine inside," Fakir said not looking at her, "I asked Hayate-san to look after him."

She smiled at him when he said that. At least she felt relieved when she heard that from Fakir, "A-arigatou, Fakir-san… for everything."

"Un."

* * *

**Memphis, Tennessee:**

It was night already and Chris was her guests in her room. She was really thankful that Chris was always there to guide her. He was true to his words and she was happy about that. She was getting bored not to do anything that she used to do before. She was in a different country but she was not allowed to explore the city without bodyguards to protect her. Her popularity went outside Japan as she watched some news on TV. Good things, that no one could recognize her there yet. Her parents would be there tomorrow to accompany her and it was a good thing for her.

"If you are bored, you can go to the rooftop, okay."

"E-eh?" she reacted. She looked at Chris who was drinking his tea that she made for him.

"This place is highly protected so can go there by yourself but I won't allow you tonight because it's getting late now."

"H-hai… thank you Chris-kun." She said looking down from him. She had been wanted to go to the rooftop the moment she set foot in that hotel but she was too shy to ask Chris if she could go there… even alone. Gladly, the boy suggested it himself so she might go there tomorrow after she met her parents.

"You seem to be occupied by something?"

She looked up to see him again, "w-what do you mean?"

"You are thinking of something, aren't you?" Chris said staring at her.

She remained speechless before looking down, "I… I am thinking home."

"Home?"

"I-I miss everyone… already. I mean not being able to see them for a couple of months make me incomplete. W-well, I like to thank you that you are always there for me to keep me from getting lonely. But there are times that I miss Obaa-chan and the others."

"…"

"T-there's Tomoka-chan, she's my best friend. I barely seen her these days and I knew that she was upset with me now. I need to explain everything to her," she smiled as she thought of her best friend, "I think Horio-kun, her boyfriend, could replace my position."

"…"

"Obaa-chan is living by herself when I left our house. I don't want her to be lonely as possible. S-she's my blood related so I am the only family that she'd got," Her eyes softened when she thought of her grandmother, "B-but I know that senpai-tachi are always there to keep her company."

"…"

"They are so nice to her no matter how strict she is when she asks for trainings and practices," she looked away and stared at the window, "They are so funny to be with. I am really happy watching them play on the court. They wouldn't be noticing me standing outside the fence but they know that I am cheering for them."

"So… they don't really pay attention to you."

She looked at them, "Not that they don't pay attention to me. It's just that, they become absorb once they started playing tennis. Each of them, that is. The best example for that is… Ryoma-kun."

Christopher narrowed his eyes when he heard his name. He didn't say anything as the girl continued talking;

"H-he sees tennis above else. He doesn't care to others when he plays. All he can think of is tennis but I don't mind that. Actually, he looks cool when he plays. Once he dares a player, he simply won't back out. He starts taunting his opponents with his famous 'mada mada dane' catchphrase," she giggled when she said that, "He even ignores if someone worries about him. There was a time that he injured himself and I was worried but he ignored me telling me that they were in the middle of a game so I shouldn't be interrupting them. That was so stubborn of him."

"…"

"Ryoma-kun… he's… the coolest guy I've ever met," she looked down as blush appeared on her cheek, "he maybe arrogant, rude or cocky but he cares for people's feelings if he has to. There is a time that he's like that too. That's why I-"

"You talk a lot about him."

She looked up to see a serious expression of Chris in front of her, "E-eh?"

"That guy, you seemed to know a lot about him."

She blinked, "W-well, he's Obaa-chan's regular and student and I always see him during practice."

"And you care about him despite that treatment he does to you?"

She flinched as he asked that. She nodded after a series of silence.

"He cares about you now."

She looked away, "b-because I am currently in danger. S-so he's worried about me."

"That's not what I see, Sakuno."

"E-eh?"

"He does care about you."

Both of them became silent after he said that. Sakuno thought it all over. Why did Ryoma care about her now? He was too oblivious about everything except tennis. Why was he paying attention to her now? Was it because she was no longer a student of Seishun academy? Ryoma was a tennis freak, arrogant, a guy with few words who was bugging her every night. It was odd for her now.

"You should know better."

She looked back to her fiancé, "w-what do you mean?"

"You said it yourself, you are currently in danger and those people are precious to you." Chris said staring directly to her eyes ensuring that she got his message.

"T-they are… precious to me."

"Exactly, and you don't want them to put in danger, right?"

She slowly nodded. She gripped her hands to her lap as she got what her fiancé was getting at.

"It's better not to think of them for a while. You miss them, correct but you are doing this to keep them safe. To keep them away from you for a while," Chris said as he put his one hand to his chin and continued, "I thought of having this idea that Milfie did that scene to protect you or something."

She gasped on his words. Could it be that the culprit had the chance of targeting her loved ones if they couldn't get her? Ryoma was a very popular tennis player so finding him was not that very hard to do. Her relationship to the guy was not that hard to discover since they both studied at Seigaku.

…But what about the others?

…Her grandmother and her best friend?

"You should stop expressing your feelings like that. Not at least, the case is over. If you care about them, you know what to do. To keep them involving from the trouble we are in."

Her eyes widened. Sad to say but Chris had a point. Her life was complicated right now. The reason of her coming there was to keep herself safe. She hated to admit but she was completely hiding from her pursuer. Her parents were keeping her there, to keep her safe. Then a thought came to her;

"B-but Chris-kun… I don't want you to… get involve in this either…"

To her surprise, the boy reached for her hand and lifted it a little higher, "Remember I am your fiancé, your trouble is also my trouble. I am willing to sacrifice myself just to be with you."

She blushed as she looked at him. His eyes were still bringing her a different type of aura when she looked at them.

"I'll be there for you and that's for sure."

She was able to smile at him after he said that. Satisfied, Chris stood up from the chair and said, "It's getting late, and you should sleep now. We are going to meet your parents tomorrow."

"Hai." She stood up as well.

Chris walked to the door and she followed. He was at the edge of the door when he suddenly stopped and turned around. Sakuno was not prepared on his next move. The blonde boy wrapped his right hand around her waist while the other was at her nape. Her eyes widened when he did that and got wider even more when his lips landed on hers. She couldn't react when he kissed her gently.

It was a gentle kiss that he was making.

The kiss took a couple of seconds before Chris released her. She was flabbergasted and didn't know what to do. His hand was on her cheek now while the other was still on her waist.

"I'll see you tomorrow, good night."

She quietly nodded. Chris completely released her and went to open the door. The blonde boy gave her a satisfying smile before leaving her in her room. He was long gone now but she was unmovable still. She unconsciously touched her lips that he had just kissed. True the kiss that he gave her today was totally different from the last time.

It was gentle… but somewhat odd.

Blush came to her as she realized it. She looked down as she thought someone.

_It was different from Ryoma-kun's… _Chris kissed her in a gentle way; Ryoma did the same thing… for several times. But those kisses were different from the other.

She unconsciously brushed her lips with the back of her hand as her eyes trembled with feelings.

_W-what should I do… Ryoma-kun?_

* * *

**Next morning:**

The private plane of Kitazawa clan arrived in the flat form of the hotel that they were staying that morning. The couple immediately went out and approached Sakuno giving her a tight hug.

"How are you here, dear?" Reina asked her.

"I-I'm doing fine… t-thanks… mom." She whispered as she closed her eyes. The wind was really strong making her single braided hair flew from it.

"Is everything okay here?" Reinja looked at Chris who nodded.

"Don't worry Uncle, the place is secured from strangers and suspicious looking guys so don't worry."

"I am glad," Reinja nodded and sighed in relief, "Well, we have some guests who will spend the whole week with us."

Four pair of eyes looked at the plane waiting for their guests to come out. Two of them became wide-eyed to see the first person who was coming out from the plane. His smile was always present, his auburn hair was swaying randomly because of the air and he was wearing his complete sports wear, including his Seigaku jersey;

"Saa… so this is the place, huh?"

"F-fuji… senpai?" Sakuno almost whispered his name. Her eyes were still widened to see Fuji in America.

Fuji smiled at her and talked, "Hisashiburi da ne, Ryuzaki-chan."

She nodded when she recovered, "H-hai… n-nice to see you again… Fuji-senpai."

The tensai smiled at her and then to her fiancé. They were pretty busy welcoming each other while the other person decided to come out too. If Sakuno was surprised to see Fuji in America, seeing his companion made her heart skip a bit. Same as Fuji, he was wearing his completely sports attire with his jersey on. Keeping his fila hat from blowing away he looked up and wore a smirk on his face;

"It's good to be back."

"R-ryoma… kun…" she blushed to see him there. Everything was unexpected for her. The boy was staring at her intensely. Both Fuji and Chris saw their reaction, while Reinja secretly observed them. Reina broke the awkward silence thankfully;

"Well, let's go inside and let's talk things over."

Everyone nodded. She flinched when Chris grabbed her hand and took her away from the area. Ryoma didn't like his move but he couldn't do anything about it. Fuji tapped his shoulder and looked at him. He sighed slowly as they followed them below.

* * *

**At the dining hall:**

They talked about the plan of searching after they ate their breakfast. The couple decided to accommodate their stay in the hotel that they were staying and began to search tomorrow morning. She felt awkward because Ryoma was staring at her from time to time. Chris was beside her and was holding her hand not missing to squeeze it. The tennis regulars also met Wein Meyers and both of them reacted a little. The people were oblivious of their reaction except Sakuno. She had the same reaction when she first met the rank A-soldier.

"So you have time to explore the entire area and then report any necessary information that you will get." Reinja said cutting her reverie.

Fuji nodded and then said, "According To Inui and Oshitari-san, the possibility of your brother's place would be in North Carolina, Pennsylvania and New York. We will search some information first before visiting the area."

Reinja nodded and felt satisfied, "Well, that's it for today. I need you all to rest and get all the strength you could muster. It will be a long day for us." He stood up after that.

"Hai." They both followed to stand up.

Sakuno and Chris stood up as well. Sakuno talked as she bowed, "U-uhmmm… Thank you very much f-for helping us… Fuji-senpai…" good thing she was not looking at them as she remembered what Chris and her talked about last night, "…Echizen-kun."

Everyone was a bit shocked on what she had addressed to Ryoma but they ignored it after. Chris secretly smirked when he heard that from her. Ryoma on the other hand was off guard. He didn't expect that from her. She called him on his first name a while ago but she changed it just about now? What a sudden change of formality?

She looked up avoiding his eyes and then started to walk away catching up with her parents.

Ryoma stared at her back. He didn't speak on their entire conversation. He knew that something was wrong and the way the girl moved was telling him all that. Whatever it was, he planned to do something about it.

* * *

**Meanwhile back to Japan:**

"Do you know where to look first?" Fakir asked her that morning when they found a hotel to stay in. The girl was sitting on the chair while writing something in her notepad.

Ahiru sighed and bit her lower lip afterwards. She didn't say any word like she didn't hear him. Fakir sighed slowly as well and decided to change his question;

"Where can we find the heir?"

Upon hearing that, she looked up to him and wondered, "W-what do you mean?"

"You are hiding something and I can read you."

She was about to depend herself when the knight suddenly walked closer and bent over to her making her blush in the process.

"I saw the way you reacted when they talked about Rafael's heir. That's the time I concluded that you knew something that we don't."

Her eyes widened when she heard that to him. She was still speechless. Fakir observed her. Something was bothering him for a while so he didn't hesitate to tell her that now.

"Arima… could you be… Rafael's child?"

She blinked twice and quickly reacted, "N-no… I am not. I am not I swear I am not. We shouldn't be looking at the child or the brother if I am."

"Then why did you react that time?" He said not planning to distance himself away from her.

"B-because… I-I was a little shocked, that's all."

"…Because you know something." Fakir insisted.

She looked away from him. He was pretty close to her and she hadn't recovered on their closeness before and thinking that made her blush once again.

"Arima," he started making her look at him once again, "it's about time."

"F-fakir-san…" She frowned a little feeling a little scared of what he might discover.

Fakir touched her cheek and kissed her lightly on the forehead. She blushed when he did that, "You can trust me on this."

She remained speechless as she stared at his serious eyes.

"I'll protect you. You can rest assure of my words."

She thought what he said to her. She trusted his words and she knew she could trust him. Her heart was beating so fast. Fakir was minding her business and once she told him everything there was no way back. All she could do was to let him take cover on how to handle things from that point on. She looked down and firmly said.

"I trust you."

Fakir smiled winning the trust of the girl in front of her. It was now or never. Whatever he was going to discover that day would be a big difference between them. But he would never break his words and that's what he was going to do.

* * *

**Back in America;**

It was five in the afternoon when she decided to come out to her room and went to the rooftop. She originally planned to ask Chris to go with her there but she learned from his personal maid that the blonde boy went somewhere together with his father and would be back later. She sighed as she looked below. The place was beautiful from above as she expected. The wind was cool as well and she liked the feeling.

Her attire was like an American person would wear. She was wearing a beanie on her head and her hair was single-braided at her back. Her grey winter dress was kept with a collapsible belt that paired with a white cardigan on it. It was a total get up that she was wearing way back in Japan. Different from her Lolita dresses that her parents preferred her to wear.

She sighed once again to had a sudden change of life into a sudden, sudden changed of life.

"I wonder what's next… after this?" she barely whispered her question.

"Ravens will turn white and cats will bark."

She looked behind her see the person she wished to see last, "E-echizen-kun."

He looked at her for a while before closing his eyes and walked to her side, "Like on what you are addressing me now feels so different."

She looked away and stared at the view, "Gomen nasai." She whispered slowly and then remembered something, "w-what are you doing here?"

The boy shrugged, "taking a break, Fuji-senpai went out somewhere."

She just nodded. Silence erupted after that. They could feel tense around them. Sensing that this was not the usual aura between them, Ryoma broke it;

"What happened?" he asked her as he was now staring at the view above them.

"N-nothing," She answered trying not to look away, "I… just realized… things are not the same like before."

Ryoma didn't say for a while before deciding to, "how?"

Sakuno looked at him. She almost forgot that the boy in front of her was dense at all things which were not related to tennis, "Y-you know-I'm not the Ryuzaki Sakuno that you used to know. I-I'm different now. I'm living in a world that is far from the life that I used to live in."

He raised an eyebrow, "so?"

"D-don't you get it? I can't do things that I like anymore. I can't go outside by my own free will. I'm… not free anymore," she turned around from him, "I can't even support you personally."

Ryoma stared at her back and watched her tense. He observed her single-braided hair moved from the way she breathed. He slowly reached for her hair and talked, "Your hair's still too long."

She flinched but she didn't turn around.

"You stutter a lot, you blush, still suck at tennis-"

"S-stop it…"

"I bet that you still lose your way. Clumsy as ever-"

"I said stop it!" she turned around this time to see as smirking Ryoma in front of her. She blushed immediately.

"Tell me," he became serious after that, "who is this certain pigtailed girl in front of me that fits all of my description?"

"P-please-"

"Or unless _someone_ brainwashed you to act like this in front of me."

"My life is in danger okay! I don't want people who are important to me get involved in this." She suddenly blurted out without thinking.

Ryoma was a bit shocked when she said those words to him. Sakuno blushed when she realized what she just said. They remained silent for a moment before Ryoma broke it;

"I feel honored to be one of them."

She looked away when he said that, "P-please… s-stop getting involved with me."

"No."

"E-echizen-kun."

"Yada." He moved forward.

She moved a step backward. "Please-"

"Yada!" with that, he pulled her closer to a tight hug. She gasped on the sudden contact, "You can not make me. I told that you that ignoring me is useless so give up already." he said firmly.

She blushed when he did that. She tried to struggle for release, "p-please, let go… w-what if C-chris-kun sees us?"

"Then let him see us for all I care," he said tightening the hug he was giving her, "You know me well. I am not backing up for something that provokes me."

"B-but…"

"And this whole thing is provoking me. I am welcoming it… Ryuzaki."

Sakuno didn't reply on his words. She no longer struggling on him and decided to listen.

"If you're in danger so be it. You can depend on me."

Her eyes widened when he said that. The boy wouldn't let go. He was still as stubborn as he was before. She started to cry that time but she decided to hug the boy back, "O-Otoko no Baka!" _Ryoma-kun… gomen ne… for everything._ She thought the last. She didn't want the boy to hope for more so she would let things that way for a while but she knew that Ryoma wouldn't leave her no matter what.

Ryoma felt satisfied when the girl hugged him back. Something was restraining her for something that she wished to do but that didn't stop him from doing things that he wanted to do. He'd protect her. No matter where she was or no matter how the girl would distance herself from him. That wouldn't stop him for his own caprices.

He was definitely stubborn as she knew him well.

* * *

**Done! How was this chapter? Something happened? The boys started to make a move now. Find out the search operation and something unexpected will happen next chapter… Find that out…**

**Vocab:**

**Hisashiburi da ne – long time no see or it's been a while.**

**Otoko no baka – stupid boy.**

**Reviews please… I want to know your thoughts… Take note… the whole secret thing was all on the spot… thingy although I've been thinking those scenes but I just don't know how to put them. Anyway… I hope they turned out fine in the end… So please… your thoughts… I need to hear them… **

**Sorry for grammar errors… guys… that is inevitable… but once I'm done with my personal business… I'll look back to all of them and correct them… I maybe change some ideas in the future too… Domo…**

**One last thing: I have a longer time tomorrow, Saturday PHT so for those who have reviewed on my Absolute Couple latest chapter will be replied tomorrow as well. So please, till then.**

******Next Chapter: Mada Mada Dane**

* * *

**Guys... tee hee hee... it's funny... some guessed the anime but not the title... but still thank you very much...**

******Yumi014 - You are right tee hee hee... the title is ~Loop sang by Heidi.**

******DeareastELFriend - You are right about it...**

******Now with a new one... this one is old, I hope you know this...**

******_Raison d'etre sonna fuu ni _  
_Raison d'etre onajiyouni _  
_waratte shizunde nagareru no wa naze _  
_kagi wo sagashiterunda zutto sgashiterunda _  
_dokomade mienai? sono doa no kagi wo_**

******Guess it guys... If you know just add this section to your reviews... just for fun... thanks... I do not own the song okay... Just love sharing it. ^_^**


	33. Mada Mada Dane

**Hi There! I am back again… I am being attacked with PMs today... and I am overwhelmed. Thank you very much! I am wondering whether you are reading my silly introduction or not… but oh well, I am trying to say something before getting on with the story… Well, I hope you like this… I hope?**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own TeniPuri and never will.**

**Mayu-chan - well... seems like it but it's okay...**

**thank you that you like this fic even though it's not the one you actually prefer... I am honored that you are reading it... thank you very much... ^_^**

**thank you once again...**

**Musical One-Shot Compilations chapter 9 review: - thank you very much. I am glad that you found it good and unique I guess... I just thought of that idea or should I say it suddenly popped onto my head... I am inspired with things theses days and the plushie being away from me helped with that... and thank you very much... I really appreciate your words... ^_^**

******Valentine Hassle - Ai Ni Kotaero White Day review: thank you very much... that you found it cute..**

******Yumi014 - Tee hee hee good news... I finally got my plushie back and that means... that means you knew what I did... ohhh that's so embarrassing...**

******tee hee hee, Ryoma's sweet all right...**

******Waah... I don't know the song? Sorry... I guess I won't be able to taste your imaginary cookies... I wonder how they taste like? Hmmm... ;P **

* * *

**Chapter 33: Mada Mada Dane**

**Chapter Summary: Everything was unexpected for him, the place, the game and the people… everything… as _in_ everything… find out…**

* * *

His amber eyes were staring at the aerial view outside while propping his left hand to his chin, grunting a little. He couldn't leave his sight to the auburn pigtailed girl across him who was leaning to her so-called 'fiancé'. The lass was sleeping on Chris' shoulder as the latter was viewing the scene outside as well… to his right side. He didn't like the scene that he tried to busy himself by the scene outside.

Fuji who was seating to his right was smiling all the time and not bothering the silent treatment they had with each other. Everyone was a bit restless that moment.

Why?

It was freaking six in the morning. The next day he and Ryoma arrived in Tennessee. And at that very moment, they were in the blonde boy's private plane taking them somewhere.

…To be exact, in a different country.

Fuji couldn't stop smiling as he thought on what had happened way earlier that morning.

* * *

**Flashback:**

_Both of them were awakened by the sudden knock on the door and without waiting for their reply, the intruder opened the door, went inside and nudged to wake them up._

_Ryoma was a bit irritated to whoever ruined his beautiful sleep._

"_Get up you two, you have places to go to." The person announced to the both of them._

"_What are you talking about?" Fuji said who rubbed his eyes so that he could clearly wake up._

"_You are going to Dubai, this morning for a special task."_

_Ryoma sat up and make a clear vision of their intruder and recognized the person._

_It was the lord. Reinja Kitazawa._

"_Can you tell us in details sire?" Fuji said as he became serious. He seemed to gain awareness from being sleepy._

_Reinja stood straight and said his purpose, "Chris-san asked permission to me that he would take my daughter to the fourth tallest hotel in the world that could be found in Dubai. I agreed but on one condition, you two will go with them."_

_The teens blinked twice on his words and then they looked at each other._

"_We will never know when the culprit strikes back. We should be certain at all times."_

_Both of them understood and nodded. Fuji smiled when the lord went out of their room after thanking them. He looked at his roommate, smirking. The tensai was thinking that something interesting would happen on their short journey. _

* * *

He was cut on his reverie when he heard another faint grunt to his left. Ryoma was definitely having a bad time seeing his interest was in the hands of another man. He looked at the noble and thought. _She must be having a hard time sleeping last night that she ended up sleeping in our flight._

They were tired too due to lack of sleep searching for information. They found hints in where to search and there were about to do the search that morning but it was postponed due to the sudden request of the lord. The tensai looked at the window beside him and gave another thought. _This will be a good trip for the both of us though. I might as well find something in that place._

* * *

**Several hours later:**

The plane landed on the helipad of the fourth tallest hotel in the world. As soon as the power energy of the flying machine died out from its source, Chris gently nudge the girl from his shoulder, tapping her cheek in the process.

"Wake up sleepy head, we're here."

Sakuno slowly opened her eyes and immediately recognized Chris beside her. She gave him a smile seconds after.

…A smile that _he_ didn't miss. He gripped his hands tight to control at something from being snapped. Fuji noticed him and gave him a light jab. He sighed slowly when he felt it. That was the time the young lass noticed them and blushed a little.

They went outside and welcomed the strong wind around them. Chris looked at them and proudly announced;

"Well, welcome to the Burj Al Arab, the fourth tallest hotel that can be found here in Dubai."

Everyone was a bit shocked on the location. Sakuno was delighted to see the place and was very happy to look around and then she noticed the location they were standing. The floor was green and somehow it made her remember something interesting. Then it hit her. She looked at the two tennis prodigies who were actually doing the same thing. The two looked at each other before looking at her. Fuji broke the stares they were sharing and said their thoughts;

"This place is a tennis court."

They heard Chris chuckle and said, "Of course it is. Not to mention, this is the highest tennis court that can be found in the world, although it's only temporarily."

Fuji nodded as he understood, "I heard something about that… never thought that I would be stepping at the said court."

Ryoma put his hands to his pocket, "Che."

"Well, let's go inside. I know that the staffs are waiting for us," He said and then looked at Sakuno and offered his hand to the girl, "Come on."

She was a bit surprised when the blonde boy did that. She gave a quick glance to Ryoma as she slowly reaching for his hands. She knew that she had to do that despite the shock she saw from him. She looked down as she finally accepted the hand of her fiancé and started walking inside.

Ryoma glared at them. It seemed that Chris did that on purpose because the latter knew that _he _was there. He closed his eyes as he sighed and then decided to follow them afterwards.

Fuji on the other hand, was somewhat enjoying the scene of the not-so-obvious-jealousy his kouhai was showing that moment. He had his camera with him and he wanted to take pictures already. But knowing the situation, there would be a proper timing for everything. He then, followed his kouhai and went inside.

**xxx**

They were inside the suit after lunch. The place was extravagant as they explored the area. Ryoma felt glad to see Sakuno enjoying the scenery of the place… until Chris entered the picture. The blonde boy never left her side much to his irritation and annoyance. Good thing that Fuji was there to stop him or else he wouldn't want the blonde boy to mess up with him.

There were nice restaurant and dining halls as they entered a room that morning. A large aquarium that tourists loved to view and some ornaments that could be seen everywhere. It was not looked like a hotel for them… it was more like a museum with different things to see.

After eating their lunch they were escorted to their rooms. Fuji suggested that they should be together with Ryoma in a room so that they could do some searching on his laptop. Chris accommodated a different room for him and for Sakuno. They went to their respected rooms after that.

Ryoma on the other hand, was still irritated. He was playing with a tennis ball in his hand as he lied down on his own bed.

"You have to control yourself, Echizen." Fuji reminded him while typing something on his laptop.

"What do you mean?" he said still not shifting his stare on the tennis ball.

Fuji stopped from typing and looked at him, "You perfectly know what I am talking about. You are jealous of him."

"Who?" He asked innocently.

"Saa… Echizen denying won't do you any good," Fuji said not looking away from the irritated boy, "If you want to get her attention, you should do your move."

Ryoma sat on his bed as he look elsewhere, "She changed, you know."

"Because she's worried about you, about us," Fuji continued, "You know that she has a big heart for everyone but the rest of it is all for you."

His eyes widened when he said that. Something hit him on what the tensai said to him.

"She would be the first one to suffer if something bad happen to you. Of course her actions today are also hurting her. If you don't notice it then you are missing the most important thing of her sacrifices."

He looked at him this time. He didn't say anything but stared at him all the while. Fuji understood him as his countenance changed. From the serious look, the tensai's expression changed into a smile;

"Saa… let's find something interesting in this place that will help on our case." He gestured his kouhai to come closer which the latter slowly did. They looked for something useful information on how to guard Sakuno's life in that whole afternoon.

* * *

**Five in the afternoon:**

She decided to go to the flat form that afternoon. Chris was sleeping as she took a peek in his room. She left a note indicating that she would be out for a while to his table where he could easily see it once he woke up. She was very happy seeing the place and didn't get tired of seeing them over and over again. Chris was with her all the time. She didn't have the chance to see Fuji or Ryoma the whole afternoon. The blonde boy told her that they were doing their job in their room.

She decided to wear her sports attire the one that she used once... the day of the opening of the Blooming Recreation of their clan. Her hair was divided into two and both tied just below the locks. She felt of wearing the clothes as she was going to meet with the court. The most thing that she liked most of the place was because there was a tennis court at the top of the building.

She opened the door and a strong wind welcomed her only to be stopped from her location when she noticed someone out there, standing at the right side of the court. The person was holding his Dynabeam Grandea while looking at the sky. She stared at him… fondly.

_Ryoma-kun… _she thought. The boy's hat was on his head but his locks were swaying gently as the wind blows from a direction. Her eyes softened as she stared at the boy who was looking good in every angle. The boy somewhat sensed her presence and quickly looked her way.

Amber eyes met hazel eyes. They stared at each other for a while before she realized that she was staring at him. She blushed immediately, "G-gomen… I-I didn't know that you are here."

She bowed hastily and was about to close the door;

"Ryuzaki."

She looked at him when he called her name. She waited for his next words.

"Let's play."

"E-eh?!"

**xxx**

Fuji and Chris went out of their room at the same time. They looked at each other;

"Where's Echizen?/Where's Sakuno?"

…And talked at the same time.

"I don't know!"

…And answered at the same time as well.

Both of them were a bit shocked that they synchronized over small things. Fuji raised his hand and talked first;

"I think we better look for them."

Chris just nodded and then walked ahead.

**xxx**

They didn't search for them long because they first looked at the top. They found the two at the court, playing with each other, having a fun time with each other.

"Mou, you don't go easy on me!" she was smiling as she hit the ball across the net.

"Your knees too bend." He was smirking as he hit her returned shot. From his expression, he could tell that the girl somewhat improved on her performance. No wonder they could have several rallies with each other.

The sound of the ball could be heard everywhere. Chris was a bit shocked that Sakuno was enjoying herself… more with him… not with him. He gripped his hands tight. He could see that the young teen was smirking but the girl didn't mind that. In fact, she was definitely enjoying herself in his company. Not taking anymore, he let them feel his presence. He walked to that plat form and talked;

"It seems that my fiancée is having a good time here."

Sakuno halted from hitting the ball to her side making to miss it and landed before falling completely below the building. She was surprised to see him there as he saw her wide eyed reaction.

"C-chris-kun…"

He looked at the boy who was staring back at him. He felt that the boy was annoyed because of the interruption. The boy was difficult to read sometimes but he could read him at that very moment. He smirked;

"Hey,"

"…"

The area was emitted with silence except for the strong wind but not harsh to push them down or to be blown away from that building.

"Play me."

His amber eyes were just staring at him, thinking of the dare he said. He wanted the boy to play tennis with him and he knew that the young tennis prodigy would not back out at such a dare.

**xxx**

Sakuno was somewhat worried for the two. There were positioning themselves as they began to play now. She hadn't seen Chris play before but as she knew him, she was sure that he never played tennis before.

The fact was true.

"One game to love! Echizen." Fuji announced.

"Ne, are you sure you can play?" Ryoma asked the blonde boy.

"Just shut up and let me concentrate." Chris said as he tried to dribble the ball in his hand.

Ryoma smirked and taunted him more, "Dribbling is not something that you can concentrate about."

"I said keep your mouth shut and play with me." he glared at him before tossing the ball in the air and tried to hit it.

Only his racket met with the wind.

Fuji and Sakuno blinked while Ryoma chuckled. Fuji recovered easily;

"Fault!"

Chris looked at him and aimed his racket, "You don't need to announce that!"

"Gomen," the sadistic tensai defended, "it's a part of the game that I need everyone to know what is really happening inside the court."

"Whatever…" with that he repeated it and it was still the same.

"Fault! Double Fault! 0-15!" Fuji announced.

Ryoma stood straight as he put his racket to his shoulder, "Seriously, what happened to all the practices we did on the wall before?"

Chris looked up at him and retorted, "This is not my sport you know, fencing and archery is my specialty." He started dribbling the ball once again.

"Then, why did you dare me to play," he glared at him still smirking, "…on my specialty?"

The blonde boy tossed the boy and was able to hit it, "because you are killing Sakuno's time here."

Ryoma ran where the ball was heading and hit it back, "Heh, Ryuzaki is a much better player than you."

Sakuno heard that and blush a little. _H-he complimented on my skills. H-he finally noticed my playing skills._ She thought as she looked down. She was very happy on what he just said.

Fuji who was beside her saw her reaction. He smiled on the small scene before focusing back on the game.

"0-30!"

The game went on and it the game scored as 3-0. It was easier that he thought.

Ryoma was having a good time playing with the blonde boy.

Why?

Ever since the game started, Chris hadn't scored a single point from him. He was _definitely _enjoying the game… no matter if it would end as quickly as he expected. He was enjoying the game while taunting him as he played. He smirked as he thought to show him his true skills on the court.

…_Serves him right. _He was thinking of something devilishly. His smirk was giving the tensai hints.

Fuji quickly noticed it and smiled on his kouhai's plans. _Saa… this is getting interesting._

Fourth game started. It was Chris turned to serve. Somehow the blonde boy was able to hit his serve but not as strong as Ryoma's. The tennis prodigy followed the direction of the ball not forgetting to say something;

"Ne… is that all you've got?" he said as he hit it back, "it's not even a serve to begin with?"

"Just quit it, I hit it alright." He said hitting it back.

Ryoma did a split-step before quickly hitting it back to his court earning another point from him, "but you didn't return it."

Chris glared at him. _This boy is pissing me off. He is so full of himself. _He thought as he gripped his hand.

"Serve again." Ryoma smirked taunting the blonde boy once again.

Sakuno on the other hand was getting tenser as the game went on. She clasped both of her hands in front of her chest. _R-ryoma-kun… Chris-kun… _she thought as she watched the game between them. The fourth game ended.

"Four games to love! Echizen!" Fuji announced.

Chris cursed under his throat. He hadn't scored a point against the smirking boy. And it was his turn to serve now. He then saw him switching his racket from left to right. He blinked twice. _What is he doing?_

Fuji saw what Ryoma did as well as Sakuno. He looked at the girl and then looked back on the court, smiling. _This is really interesting._

Ryoma dribbled the ball. He smirked as he thought of his plan. _It's showtime. _He looked at him before throwing the ball in the air; his racket was at the back of his shoulder waiting for the right time to hit. He swung the racket really hard as he hit the ball across the net. The ball landed in the front where Chris was standing and bounced back to the blonde boy's face.

Chris was shocked at the hit but luckily, he blocked it with his racket. The force was strong and he couldn't control it. The racket had flown away making him lose balance in the process. The ball fell below the building.

Sakuno gasped on Ryoma's action. Fuji predicted that the boy would do it.

"15-0!"

"You did that on purpose!" He said as he stood up.

He yanked another ball in his pocket and dribbled it to his side, "What are you talking about? This is how I really play." He looked at him while smirking. He enjoyed making fun of the blonde boy. He enjoyed doing twist serve on Chris… hoping that it would land on his face.

That was the only way he could have his _revenge_ on him.

He repeated his twist serve but the process was still the same. Chris was getting irritated. He knew that he was making fun of him. Ryoma repeated the process and smirked when he almost hit him on the face.

"40-0!" Fuji announced.

Sakuno on the other hand was worried on her fiancé and tried convincing him to stop, "C-chris-kun, E-echizen-kun is a skilled player… p-please don't dare him."

"Shut up Sakuno! Stay out of this darn business!" Chris shouted even though he was not looking at her.

Sakuno was a bit shocked on his words. She became speechless after that.

Ryoma didn't like the way he behaved to her. He stood up and retorted, "That's not a way to treat a girl."

Chris stood up and glared at him, "Why? Do you know how?"

Ryoma glared back at him and said, "I don't bully a girl… as far as I can remember."

The eased atmosphere turned into a tensed one. No one said a word as they both stood there.

Fuji sensed the growing tense between them. He needed to do something so he cleared his throat before getting their attention;

"Continue with the match before I call it a draw."

"Che." Ryoma retorted shortly as he went back to his position. He made another twist serve much to the blonde boy's annoyance.

"Five games to love! Echizen!"

Chris turned to serve for the final game. He knew that he wouldn't stand a chance to the boy. Judging from the serve he gave him a while ago, he knew that he would lose the game. He was pissed but he still continued with the game.

Ryoma's smirked came back as he started dribbling the ball. He knew that the blonde boy was pissed now. He never imagined that playing with the blonde boy wasn't that boring. He was able to return some of his hits but not earning a single point from him. He was definitely a no-no for tennis.

He would gladly admit that Ryuzaki was a better player than her so called 'fiancé'. Like what he said earlier. The girl was not only returning his hit but she could win a game from him, much to his surprise when they played earlier before Chris interrupted in.

The game finally ended.

"Six games to love! Game, set and match! Echizen Ryoma!" Fuji announced the winner of the match.

Chris was breathing so hard. He lost and he was not happy about it. He was really pissing him, making fun of him… in front of the girl to be exact. He could see the boy smirk from his location, despite the hat that he was wearing. He cursed silently.

Sakuno looked at Ryoma and congratulated him from a distance. The boy nodded as appreciation. She saw Fuji walked to his location so she walked to her fiancés'. She was a bit reluctant when she did that. Mustering all the courage she could have, she tapped his shoulder;

"D-daijoubu, Chris-kun?"

Chris was looking down and his expression couldn't read that easily. After a long silence, he slowly nodded.

"I am okay." He said coldly not looking at her.

Sakuno was a bit surprised when he replied to her question. She was more surprised when Chris suddenly looked at her intensely and on what happened next was really fast for her.

Fuji stopped from walking when he saw his kouhai's slowly eye-widening reaction on his face. He looked at the direction he was staring at. Like Ryoma's, his cerulean eyes slowly wide opened as well.

They saw Chris looked at her for a while before wrapping his left hand to her waist moving her closer to his body and claimed her lips without warning. He was still holding his racket to his right while kissing the shocked girl.

She gasped on the kiss he was giving her. She couldn't react as her eyes dilated from shock. Chris was kissing her… in front of Ryoma.

In front of the guy she admired.

She slowly reached for his shoulder and was about to push him but Chris released her before she could do that. Her eyes were still wide as she looked away.

…To the opposite side from where Ryoma and Fuji were standing.

As Chris ended the kiss, he looked at them especially to Ryoma and smirked. He said his words in full Japanese;

"Mada Mada Dane!"

Ryoma was shocked at the scene as his amber eyes became widened. He glared at him as he gritted his teeth when he mimicked his own catchphrase. He was pissed and a lot upset.

He was offended by the stupid blonde boy in front of him.

Not receiving a reply from him, he grabbed Sakuno and pulled her out of the court, "We will return back to Tennessee after dinner, see you then." He announced to the two as they started to walk to the door.

Sakuno couldn't look at _him_ as they continue walking to the door. She was embarrassed and she didn't know how to react. She let Chris lead the way hoping to get away with the uneasy feeling that she was feeling at that moment.

Ryoma and Fuji were left behind. Fuji looked at his kouhai and saw him pinned his hat down He walked closer to the boy and talked, "Are you okay?" He tapped his shoulder, "He just wanted to tease you."

Ryoma didn't say a word from him as silence welcomed the place. The wind was becoming quieter as the night was dawning for them. Later on, he decided to talk, "Fuji-senpai… can you leave me alone."

Fuji just stared at him. His expression couldn't read by anyone but as a tensai, he knew what his kouhai was going through.

"Please…"

Fuji squeezed his shoulder assuring him that everything would be alright. He then left the boy in the court. Ryoma was a tough guy… he knew that he wouldn't let things like that. He just needed time to think things over before moving to the next. And Fuji would be giving enough for him.

* * *

**At Sakuno's room:**

"I want you to be happy with me."

Sakuno looked at him. She was still shocked at his action he put a while ago. She didn't know what to feel at that moment. And she didn't know what to say to him.

"You are happy with him but not to me."

"W-what are you-"

"Sakuno," he grabbed both of her shoulder and stared at the blushing girl, "He can make you happy like that… but I can't. You should be happier when you are with me."

"C-chris-kun."

"I'm not losing to that brat, remember that."

She was somewhat scared at his action at the moment. The way he stared was more like possessiveness rather than fondness. The blonde boy was giving him an intense stare that she couldn't resist.

Chris sighed really hard as he released the girl and turned around to the door, "You are my fiancée, remember that. You will give your full attention to no one else other than me."

With that he went out of her room and left the girl behind. She stared at the door which was the boy exited. She was having mixed feelings at that moment and she didn't know what to recognize first. Having confusion in her mind, she looked down trying to fight the tears that were about to fall on her face.

* * *

**Meanwhile;**

Somewhere in a dark and isolated place, a private conversation was being implemented, a plot that was planning to commence if the heirness didn't go to a different country.

"Father, when are we going to make a move?" an irritating voice asked someone.

"Not yet… let them have all the fun first."

The line was static as they talked over the phone, "Stupid guy, how did he fail that last time. Ending his life didn't do us any good. Now, we need to make another plan."

"Easy there boy, haste makes waste remember that," the voice on the other line said, "There is a time for all of this. She can have all the fun for a while. So let her experience it."

"Heh, easy for you to say."

"It is easy, we will have a surprise for her… soon… we will welcome her," the voice said. The other line could sense that the one called father was smirking, "in Memphis, Tennessee."

Wicked laughs could be heard before that conversation ended. The father was holding a picture of a certain auburn pigtailed girl on her first recognition that time. He was thinking of a proper welcome that would definitely surprise the hiding princess.

"You can hide but you can not run… mistress."

* * *

**Done! How was this chapter? I guess you didn't like it? Let me correct it—you didn't like Chris' actions here… I know… but still I want to hear your thoughts… so please…**

**Please flame Chris… not me… joke… ;P**

**Reviews please… motivate me… improve me… make me better… anything… just let me sure that I will continue… domo…**

**Next Chapter: Mud Island**

* * *

**Thank you answering my little game and yeah you are right... tee hee hee...**

**Thank Yumi014 and DearestELFriend for guessing the song right...**

**The song is Raison D'etre by Rie Tanaka from Chobits... I wonder why no one knows that... hmmm... anyway this is the last for a while... I think... can you guess this...**

* * *

_'Going up the thirteen steps_

_They'll be waiting for your hands_

_Itami wo shitta kyou kara ga atarashii START nara_

_I'll be there, I'll be there, I'll be there..._

_Tsubuyaita koukai wa kimi no te ni koboritsuku_

_Togisumashita yaibao ta ga tame ni furu no desu ka...' _

* * *

**There! I do not own the song okay... can you tell me?**

**and last but not the least! I GOT MY PLUSHIE BACK... So I am back with lots of ideas...ummm... well starting today... Yey!**

**Having my plushie back means... eeeep! It's so embarrasing! ! ! **


	34. Mud Island

**Hi! I am back again… Bombarded! I know… last chapter was awful… the antagonist? is making his move now? Well… someone has to be hurt first and everyone is affected… Sad to say… **** Anyway… this is the new chapter…**

**Something happened a while ago; I went to the holy week retreat today so I didn't have time to reply to your message... but I promise that I'll reply to your messages tomorrow, after the last day of retreat... yeah... it's a three day Holy Week retreat...**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Prince of Tennis.**

* * *

**Mayu-chan - yeah... that's the common phrase alright... but in this case, Sakuno is hiding so i kind of changed the old saying... tee hee hee... But Sakuno will not stay hiding forever... guess not...**

**yeah... seems like it... definitely golden... tee hee hee... everybody hates Chris now...**

**I hope you like this next chapter... well... I hope?**

**Anonymous13 - thank you for loving those parts... I totally agree with you... It's just that Chris is always in their way... well for now... and Ryoma seemed to enjoy pissing off Chris... tee hee hee.**

**Yumi014 - tee hee hee you are right... I guess Chris has his own way to piss Ryoma back at him... well anyway... everbody hates Chris now... I guess...**

**Tee hee hee I guess you are right that's why they are called 'imaginary'**

**and yeah... you guessed the song right... I love that music definitely... also Nabari no Ou although I am kinda sad about the ending though... tee hee hee... thank you for guessing by the way... **

**I see... I don't know the anime but I'll listen to the music thank you for telling me... ^_^**

* * *

**Chapter 34: Mud Island**

**Chapter Summary: She just wanted to have fun… free from misery and problems. She missed her normal life but she knew that she couldn't go back to the way she was. Then… what's worse to come?**

* * *

They went back from Dubai before midnight. No one uttered a word during the flight. Sakuno couldn't look at them, while Ryoma just pinned his hat down all the time. Chris just viewed the scene despite the darkness outside while Fuji was tapping something on his laptop.

The search in Dubai was pointless for they didn't see anything there. They served as Sakuno's bodyguard on that trip but ended up as a disaster… somehow. They respected the silence everyone was creating that moment.

**xxx **

Minutes later, they were in their respective suites. Sakuno was welcomed by her parents before sending her in her room. Everyone was resting as well but she couldn't do the same. She couldn't sleep and it was past midnight already.

What happened in Dubai kept rewinding in her brain. She couldn't do anything when Chris kissed her in front of Ryoma and Fuji. She was afraid of seeing Ryoma's reaction that time that's why she looked the other way. She couldn't look at him after that.

Knowing that she couldn't sleep until later, she decided to sit up and climb down from her bed. She put her evening robe and went to the terrace. She opened the door that connected to the place.

"…Took you so long to get up."

She flinched when she heard someone talk from the terrace. Her eyes widened when she saw him there. Leaning on the wall, his hat was pinned down the ground so she couldn't see his expression.

"E-echizen-kun."

She saw him flinch when she called him that way. Then she noticed his smirk;

"Sakuno."

Her eyes widened. He was calling her by her name again. Why did she think that their addresses turned to be upside down now? She panicked a little when the boy slowly left the wall and walked towards her. She was able to take two steps backward before the boy finally leaned to her shoulder making the hat fall in the process. She blushed really hard when the boy did that. She couldn't even find her voice that moment.

"He's getting on my nerves. He's annoying."

"E-eh?!"

"He's making me mad," He continued grabbing her arms firmly, "That idiot, bastard."

"E-echizen-kun, what are you saying?"

Ryoma suddenly jerked his head up and stared at her seriously. She was shocked when she saw his stare that closely. Her blush came afterwards;

"I don't like him."

She was able to stare at him before biting her lower lip and replied to his words, "I… I'm sorry."

He flinched a little, "Why are you apologizing?"

She looked away, "b-because… I-I am so weak. I am so pathetic." _You shouldn't be protecting a weak person like me… Ryoma-kun._

Her eyes widened as his lips landed on her forehead. His fingers began brushing to her lips, rubbing them gently as if trying to remove something there. She blushed really hard, "I'm here. I'll help you to become stronger."

She was speechless as she stared at him. Her heart started to pump irregularly when his signature smirk was slowly returning to his face;

"He's older than us but I am more capable of protecting you."

She couldn't help herself this time. She gave him a light slap on his arm as she snickered, "Mou! You are so full of yourself."

"Un."

She gave him a genuine smile, "Arigatou guzaimasu, Echizen-kun."

He was a bit shocked at her words but recovered immediately. He bent down to grab his hat and put it on his head once again, "We will search next thing in the morning," he said still holding the brim of his hat he then looked up and stared at her, "until then… do not let him kiss you."

She blushed when he said that straight to her face. She was still dumbfounded when Ryoma leaned down and gave her a quick kiss on the lips before walking out of the terrace. She realized that he was not there anymore. She tried to look for him but he was nowhere to be found.

Sakuno touched her lips as she thought of something. _D-did he just kiss me… a while ago?_ She wasn't sure if it was a dream or not. She wasn't even sure if Ryoma was there in the first place. Then she found something on the floor.

It was a folded paper. She picked it up and unfolded it. Her eyes widened as she read what was written inside;

_Sleep as you leave the terrace. I'll see you soon – Ryoma_

She felt the blush rushing through her once again. _H-he was here… for real. _She thought as she hugged the paper to her chest and then remembered the smack kiss he gave her a while ago. _I-it was real too…_

* * *

**Japan:**

The Hyotei captain was monitoring everything. He was currently receiving news from the three countries. It's been four days since Fuji and Ryoma went to America and the pair told their news on what was happening in North Carolina. Fuji had thought about it. North Carolina was pretty close to Tennessee, what if the not-so-sure ally was actually there and expected the unexpected. Fuji gave Atobe a thought about that.

The Seigaku tensai had a point.

They were not sure whether Rafael and company was their ally. Hiding the girl there would be useless. But Atobe told Fuji to keep observing the place. His men would do anything to help a little damsel in distress anyway. Besides, he never experienced something interesting as like this before.

He leaned on his table as he thought something, "Kabaji."

"Usu."

"Monitor Azerbaijan's location," he said standing up and starting to walk away, "I've got something to do."

"Usu."

* * *

**Meanwhile:**

It's been almost a week since they started searching. The knight became serious when he heard everything from her. He was looking at her all the time especially when the maid was busy thinking something.

_How did she manage to take all those hardships? Why is she sacrificing herself like that to an old friend? _He thought. Honestly, he was still shocked on what he had discovered from her.

"It was worth a shock to you, wasn't it?"

He flinched a little when the maid spoke, "I won't deny that, yes. But my mind is still made up. I'll protect you at all cost."

"Fakir-san-"

He cut her by placing a finger to her lips and said, "On what I discovered from you made me want to protect you more so don't argue with me."

She blushed as he distanced his finger to her lips, "T-thank you... umm Fakir-san… a-about on what you discovered…"

"Don't worry…. your secret's safe with me."

She smiled upon hearing that. Then she looked down and fidgeted, "W-well… since you know everything now… I-I still want to tell you another thing."

He looked at her. Hadn't she told him everything yet? His thoughts wouldn't be answered unless he asked the maid, "Well… what is it?"

"Ummm… I-it's about Rafael's son-in-law."

He raised an eyebrow. He knew that already so why would the maid say that to him. His thoughts were answered once again without him asking this time.

"I kinda… know where to find him."

Blink.

"…"

"…"

Blush.

**SNAP!**

"WHY DIDN' T YOU TELL ME THAT?!" Fakir yelled at her making the maid shriek, "IF YOU DID, WE SHOULDN'T BE WALKING AROUND IN CIRCLES."

"I am sorry." She covered her ears as it was her first time hearing the knight yelled at her. But somehow it felt good to have a different reaction from him. It felt… good.

Fakir sighed as he calmed down. He grabbed the maid and gestured her to ride a bus, "We will go there now."

"B-but I am afraid Rafael-sama or his daughter isn't with him."

"It's okay… you told me who's _he_ really with." The maid had told him about her friend's husband who was actually the true heir of the Kitazawa but the problem was Ahiru didn't know where to find her friend as they lost communication a year ago.

"H-hai." _I knew you would be mad. I just wanted to spend more time with you. And discovering the truth won't change anything. Meeting him would become an issue in the future. But I'm willing to do anything for my friend. _She thought as she positioned herself at the back of the bus as well as the knight beside her. That trip would be a tough one for them.

* * *

**Greece:**

Ohtori and Shishido were asking some information in Greece. Good thing that their English was not that bad. Greek people weren't that good at speaking in English but they were still helpful that they could communicate to some of them.

They went to the library as they started searching. After three hours of reading and searching, Shishido found something;

"Hey Chotaro, look at this article." Shishido said waving his hand from his teammate who was surfing the net.

Ohtori leaned closer and read what Shishido was pointing at. His eyes widened;

"This article was from ten years ago, are you sure that Rafael's child was still there?"

The dash specialist just shrugged as he replied, "We have to find out first. We should go this place."

He sighed as he finally stood up from the computer, "Well, what are we waiting for, let's go."

Shishido nodded and stood up as well not forgetting to call Atobe and reported on what they had just discovered.

* * *

**Azerbaijan:**

Gakuto and Oshitari were searching the place thoroughly. It was pretty tough because few of the people there could only speak English. Gakuto was losing his patience at that moment.

"How are we going to get a single clue here?" Gakuto said munching a cake while walking beside his doubles partner.

"Let's talk to the people." Oshitari simply said.

"But they don't speak English!" He blurted his complain.

The genius looked at him, "like you can speak fluently."

Gakuto retorted a little, "Hey, it's not like I can not speak English. I can communicate to them if you don't know."

"Yeah, yeah, now let's continue asking." Oshitari said who walked away a bit further from him. Actually the acrobatic player was right. How were they going to ask some information if they couldn't speak English that well? They could count the person who spoke the language but they weren't of any help.

He thought of a different option.

"Gakuto, let's go to historical places and see what we can discover."

Gakuto blinked his eyes twice but he understood what he meant. They went to a public transportation and went to a nearest historical place in that city.

* * *

**6****th**** Day in America:**

Fuji was talking on the phone with Sumire that night. He told his coach everything so far. Then Fuji became serious as he said his next words;

'Sensei, I don't think searching for a week would sufficient for evidences that we yearn for.'

Sumire sighed from the other line, 'I am aware of that. The couple and I talked about this beforehand. Since you and Ryoma are excellent at all academic subjects, we thought of giving you a break and continued searching for the case.'

Cerulean eyes opened from his eyelids, 'Are you allowing us to stay here?'

'The couple helped me with your studies so you two as exceptionally exempted but you two have to take major exams before the school year ends, okay.'

'Hai… thank you very much, sensei.'

'One more thing, you have to be given at least less than three months to search. Ryoma's participating for the French Open needs to take action in the future. So you have to go back here before French Open competition starts.'

'Hai.'

'Well, Fuji I need to go. Please tell my regards to Sakuno, okay.'

'I will… thank you again, Ryuzaki-sensei.' With that he ended the call. A signature 'smile' formed on his lips as he thought something. _Echizen would love to hear this wonderful news._

* * *

**The Next Day, Morning Breakfast:**

"M-mud Island?" she asked her parents during their breakfast meal.

Reina nodded, "The place is such a wonderful view for the both of you," she then looked at Chris who was looking at Sakuno. The fine lady shifted her stare at the two teens who were eyeing her for clarifications, "It will be a nice break for the two of you as well."

Fuji was the one to ask, "We are going too?"

Reinja answered this time, "We need you three to guard our little princess," he looked at Sakuno who was blushing really hard, "We have a business to attend in that place so we can not spend a long time with her and I am hoping that you will take my place."

"We are glad to accept, Kitazawa-san." Ryoma answered his words. Fuji looked at him. As expected, his kouhai went all fired up when he learned the news this morning. He could see it clearly on his face.

"Good," he said wiping his mouth with a tissue he said, "Drosselmeye and Wein are going to be there as well. Mud Island is an open area so we have to take extra precautions."

"Hai." All of them nodded in unison.

Sakuno couldn't look at them. There were going to another place which was too foreign for her. The place must be interesting as she thought. It would be nice to go there with them.

"We will eat our lunch there and spend time viewing the Mississippi River," Reinja announced standing up, "Prepare yourselves and go to the rooftop after thirty minutes."

"Hai!" Everyone in the dining table answered in chorus.

* * *

**After thirty minutes:**

Everyone was there when Sakuno walked to the rooftop. They were all wearing their usual clothes. Fuji was on his blue collared t-shirt and loose long pants, while Ryoma was wearing a white t-shirt with red sleeves and black pants. Drosselemeye and Wein were still wearing their proper attire same as their parents. Chris was wearing a yellow shirt and white pants. She was wearing on her sports attire; White skirt and pink tank top t-shirt.

"Everyone's here already, let's go." Reinja said announcing everyone to board the private plane that can accommodate them all.

And they were on their way to the small peninsula.

* * *

**At the same time in Japan:**

They finally reached their destination that night. They were pretty worn out but they didn't care about that. They were standing at a certain house. It was not old but it was not modern either. It was perfectly fine. From where they were standing, they saw a girl in pink hair appeared from a door inside. She looked at them and asked;

"Umm… may I help you?"

The maid was the first one to ask, "Ummm… well… we are looking for someone… and I think that you can help us with it…"

The pink-haired girl blinked her eyes twice and asked another question, "Well… who are you looking for?"

"Asuna, what are you doing outside?" a sudden voice interrupted Ahiru's reply. The person appeared behind the girl as the former shoved the banner away from the face to have a clear view outside.

Ahiru's eyes widened when she saw the person who had appeared in front of them.

Fakir saw her reaction. The knight looked at the person in front of them. A guy he thought of four or five years older than them was standing in front of them, staring at their unexpected visit that night. The guy had hazel hair and green eyes. But he could sense that the guy was somewhat stern.

"T-tiashe-sama…"

His eyes widened as he clearly heard what the maid uttered after a series of silence. He then looked back at the maid beside him. Her face was mixed with shock, bewilderment, worries and happiness. The girl looked at them obliviously, didn't know what was happening in front of their house.

The knight looked at this 'Tiashe' guy that Ahiru called. Then he remembered something as realization surfaced his brain.

The place was filled with an everlasting silence.

* * *

**Mud Island:**

The advantage of having a private plane was really convenient. They were already in the peninsula in just a nick of time. The group had started exploring the place. Sakuno was happy to see such places.

From where they were standing, they could see the so-called Pyramid Arena. And the other interesting places near the place. They went to the Mississippi River Park and stayed there, visiting a museum and the park itself.

Everyone was supposed to be enjoying the view but a certain tennis prodigy wasn't.

Why?

He was throwing daggers and sharp glares to a certain blonde boy ahead of them. He was with her for Pete's sake. If glares could kill, the blonde boy would long be dead by now. Chris was holding Sakuno's hand all the time. He fought the urge to ran towards them and separate the two.

For goodness sake, he was trying his best.

"Control yourself, Echizen. Snapping will not do you any good."

He looked at the person who spoke last. Fuji tapped his shoulder giving him assurance that everything would be alright. Fuji knew how to read minds? How could he read his? He was the tensai after all. Of course, he knew. He gripped his hands tight to keep his temper and sighed hard.

They went with the exploring until later. They decided to have their lunch at a certain place. The place was in a higher area. As Fuji examined the land, he thought that something was not right. Ryoma noticed him and asked;

"What's wrong?"

"This place is quiet and we can not see people walk by." He said searching the area.

Ryoma did the same thing and thought as well. The place was indeed eerie for the both of them. The younger regular looked at the two bodyguards and they looked oblivious of the surroundings. He narrowed his eyes because of that.

Were they really bodyguards? Why couldn't they sense the uneasy feelings he and Fuji felt? His reverie was cut when Reina called them for lunch.

Everyone walked slowly to the dining area. Ryoma heaved another sigh to clear his lungs and was about to walk their location when Fuji stopped him to his shoulder;

"Don't let your guard down, Echizen," He said looking around them, "I have a bad feeling about this."

He gave his senpai a meaningful look before nodding. They walked to the dining area to have their lunch.

**xxx**

After lunch, Reina and Reinja decided to leave them for the business meeting that was about to be held in the area not far from them. They told them to enjoy themselves and decided to meet after five hours.

With that they were left in that area.

"Well, what are we going to do now?" Fuji asked everyone.

"I-I want to explore the area more." Sakuno answered.

"You can not go off wondering in a remote area, Sakuno," Chris warned her, "it's dangerous, remember."

Sakuno was a bit shocked when Chris said that. She almost forgot, her actions were limited now so she couldn't do the things that she liked anymore. She looked down, "r-right."

"I can escort her."

Everyone looked at the person who talked last. Even Sakuno couldn't believe it either.

"You?" Chris looked straight at his amber eyes, "can you protect her with your racket?"

Ryoma glared back at him, "it's always my racket which saves her from danger."

"You can not depend on your racket all the time."

"It's better than not trying at all."

An awkward scene was showed in front of them. Sakuno was worried now that the two of them had a silent fight so she interrupted;

"S-stop it… I-I won't go anywhere… s-so that no one will get hurt," she tried stopping them but no to avail and then an idea popped into her head, "W-why don't we play tennis, then?"

Chris and Ryoma looked at her with different reactions. Chris wore a weird look while Ryoma smirked.

"Yarujan."

"Nice suggestion, Ryuzaki-chan." Fuji said who heard what she said.

Sakuno blushed as she heard that. With her suggestion, everyone agreed although Chris wasn't in the mood to play but he thought that it was better than to go somewhere.

They decided to play one at a time since the place that they were in was a bit steep and high. Fuji looked down a while ago, it was steep but it was not that high. It was a bit dangerous to move around.

Fuji played with Wein and found the soldier a bit amazing that he could play with him. But in the end Fuji won the game.

Ryoma played next with Drosselmeye but the game didn't last long. The veteran was too old to play so he couldn't return any serve he hit. He finished the game easily much to his frustrations.

The last one was a match between Sakuno and Chris. Chris was not really interested about playing the game but Sakuno wanted to play. He thought of playing with her because if he didn't, he knew that the boy with amber eyes would interrupt and steal his spot.

So they played for a while.

"As expected, Ryuzaki-chan was improving with her tennis skills." Fuji said as he watched the two played. Chris wasn't able to return her hits. He also noticed that the girl was having fun while playing.

"Che," Ryoma replied to his comments. He closed his eyes as he continued, "it just that her opponent is a lousy player."

"Lower your voice, Echizen. He might hear you." Fuji warned him again.

He opened his one eye to peek. As he did that, he saw him try to hit the ball back that the girl did but no to avail. A smirk formed on his lips as he closed his eye again, "Heh, lousy indeed."

Fuji just smiled at his kouhai's reaction. _He has his own way on how to compliment her skills... omoshiroi._

The game went on between Sakuno and Chris. Chris was able to return some of her hits. He stared as she hit another ball. He focused on that serve she gave him. _I'll hit it. _He said as he unconsciously enjoying the game with her.

Unfortunately, the hit was outside. It passed through Sakuno's baseline and rolled further to a distance. Sakuno followed the direction of the ball and ran towards it, "I'll go get it."

Chris suddenly talked, "You don't have to, Sakuno. It's dangerous to go out there."

"I'll be fine."

They followed the girl's footsteps as she went nearer to the steep. Knowing that the cliff was a bit high she didn't dare to look at it. She sat up to retrieve the ball.

Fuji was staring at her to his sideways when suddenly a flash caught his attention. He looked at the direction to that flash. From a higher ground than them, he noticed something. Revealing his cerulean eyes, shocked came to his senses. He alerted as he looked to Sakuno's direction;

"Ryuzaki-chan! Abunai!"

Sakuno just stood up and looked at the tensai. She saw his worried face and wondered what was happening. She looked ahead of her and saw something flashing towards her direction. She was stiffened on her location.

Ryoma was on the other side and quickly noticed what Fuji predicted, he quickly ran towards the girl.

Then a loud bang was heard from everywhere. Sakuno closed her eyes and was shocked on what was happening. She didn't know what was really happening. She thought that the sound they heard would probably be coming from a gun.

But she didn't feel the bullet inside her. Instead she felt a slight tug from her arm making her losing her balance. Her eyes widened as she recognized who saved her. _M-meyers-san?_

Ryoma, Fuji and Chris and even Drosselmeye were shocked on the sudden event. Meyers covered himself to shield the girl from the bullet.

He was injured from his arm.

Her balance was losing her. As she took a step backward, she couldn't feel her foot touch the ground. She tried to reach for something as she let go of the ball that she was holding.

It was too late.

Her eyes were still dilated as she saw Ryoma reaching for her on top of the cliff with his priceless worried expression while slowly drawing her off below the steep. She couldn't find her voice but she thought that she could hear him screaming.

"SAKUNO!"

* * *

**Done! How was this chapter? Cliffhanger… I know? What is going to happen to Sakuno? You will find that out in the next chapter… **

**Omoshiroi – interesting.**

**I want to hear your thoughts about this… reviews please! Domo…**

**Mud Island is a small peninsula that can be also found in Memphis, Tennessee. Everything is real well except for the higher grounds… There are no steep or higher grounds in that area. I just invented that place for the last scene… I do not own the place okay… just love sharing the place…**

**I forgot about the place last chapter. Burj Al Arab in Dubai is indeed the fourth tallest hotel in the world. The tennis court there is true but it is only for temporary use. I am not sure if the helipad is still designed for tennis court until now. If it is still there, then it was the highest tennis court that can be found elsewhere.**

**I do not own those places… just love sharing them… ^_^**

**Next Chapter: Pigtails**


	35. Pigtails

**Hi there! I am back again. Shocking? I know… The culprit is moving now… See how they deal with the current problem.**

**Another thing; sorry if I won't be able to reply to the reviews because of my stupid connection. My computer is slowly crashing down that my connection is affected. I can not open google chrome anymore so I have to use other site. But I promise that I will reply to all of them… thank you reviewing on my two new fics… I am so enlightened. ^_^ **

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own P.O.T. Got it?**

* * *

**Music4Life1791 - thank you for liking this story I really appreciate it... **

**well, in that situation I considered Ryoma to be the one to call her name out loud... I mean, the pitch that he could muster enough for her to hear. Imagining that the person that he likes was about to fall, unexpected actions will take place. I made his adrenaline rushed to him and acted like a different person. I could picture Edward Elric (You know him?) in him especially when he gets angry in a slow manner before bursting his anger out. In, Sakuno's case... I don't think that she could find her voice at that moment, while falling off the cliff. Shocked in a slow motion pace.  
**

**anyway... thank you very much once again... I hope that you like this chapter... ^_^**

**Yumi014 - Sad to say... yeah... and it will be for a while... something will happen before that...  
**

**uhmmm... actually no... Asuna is from the anime called 'Softenni'. She's the main protagonist in the anime where girls this time who play soft tennis. **

**tee hee hee... don't worry about it... I am still glad that you left a message and that's what makes me happy... Thank you again... ^_^**

* * *

**Chapter 35: Pigtails**

**Chapter Summary: He was worried now that she was missing. He was not going to watch in a corner and do nothing anymore. He must do his move… it was now or never.**

* * *

His eyes were widened in shock as he looked at the steep below. It was his first time making a shock reaction like that. All he could see was large and thick branches of trees and the small lake below. He gritted his teeth really hard making them bleed as he silently cursed.

There was no sign of her.

He gripped his hands tight as he made a decision. He walked to the edge and was about to come down when someone stopped him by grabbing his arm;

"Echizen, don't you dare."

He looked at his stopper and retorted, "Let go, Fuji-senpai. Ryuzaki's down there."

Fuji blinked his already opened cerulean eyes when he heard him. _I am pretty sure that he called her Sakuno a while ago. Was it an impulse? _He thought but he put that aside and gripped his arm really hard, "That's too dangerous for you to go down there."

He glared at him before saying his thoughts, "She more in danger than I am! We can not leave her there!"

Chris was there already, and was shocked as well. Drosselmeye was tending Meyers who got wound in his arm. The two bodyguards looked at the direction where the shot took place. But it seemed that the shooter was no longer there. Chris stared at the steep like what Ryoma did earlier. Before Fuji could reply to his kouhai's words, he also noticed the blonde boy's upcoming action;

"Stop putting yourself in danger too, Finsbury-san."

Chris looked at the tensai and retorted, "She's in danger! How can you say that?!"

Fuji glared at him this time as well as to Ryoma making the two of them flinch, "Do you think that putting yourself in danger will make Ryuzaki-chan safe, wherever she is?"

The guys were speechless but they looked away to each other.

"She will be the first one to get upset and probably blame herself if that happens," Fuji continued, "There's still a way so don't panic and do reckless thing. It will not help Ryuzaki-chan at all."

Fuji let go of him when the tensai thought that he was not going to do anything reckless. Fuji walked to the steep and thought of something.

"The depth is not that high and there's a lake below. I think the possibility that she landed in that lake. I hope she finds her way back here." Fuji explained to them.

"Sono muri da." Ryoma reacted after Fuji said his last words.

Chris looked at him and asked this time, "What do you mean by that?"

He looked away from them as he stared at the lake, "She is navigationally-challenged."

Fuji flinched when he heard that while Chris frowned and it seemed that he didn't understand what he said.

"She doesn't have a sense of directions, okay!" he grunted.

Chris was a bit shocked when he retorted like that. He glared at him after he said that. _This guy… knows a lot about Sakuno._

Fuji broke the tense between rivals, "We will look for her," he started and then looked back at the steep, "in a different path."

"Where are we going to start?" Chris asked.

Fuji looked at the two bodyguards, "Drosselmeye-san…"

Sakuno's bodyguard stood up, "I am going with you. It's my responsible for my mistress' safety."

"Don't mind me. I'll rest here and then I'll follow you." Meyers assured them.

They nodded hesitantly. They shouldn't waste anymore time there. Fuji made a decision;

"We split into two, Echizen you go with Finsbury-san for searching. I'll go with Drosselmeye-san."

"Why do I have to stick with this guy?!" Ryoma and Chris both said and point at each other at the same time.

Fuji looked at them and answered, "You two are the very first people that Ryuzaki-chan wants to see. So, seeing you together might be a good idea."

They became silent when he said that.

"Good, no objections?" the tensai asked when he received nothing from them, he continued, "We should find Ryuzaki-chan before five and be here by then."

They both nodded after that. Ryoma walked ahead without waiting for the blonde boy. Chris followed suit. Fuji watched them leave. It was the first time he saw his kouhai worried like that. It was really a priceless reaction that he could get from him. But the situation was not good for his own fetish. They had got some rescuing to do. He faced the two bodyguards. The older was still tending the younger. He walked closer and bowed to them;

"Thank you for covering for her."

"Don't be," he winced because of the pain, "It's my job as a soldier."

"Wein, we need to go," Drosselmeye announced to the injured soldier, "We still need to look for the mistress."

"Don't worry about me," Meyers said, "Go now."

He older nodded and stood up. Soon, they went to the different direction were the two went and started searching.

* * *

**Meanwhile:**

She could barely hear the sound of water flowing near her but she couldn't open her eyes clearly. She couldn't even move as if she felt numb all over. She tried to move and trying to remember what happened but a slight throb was stopping her from doing so.

"S-someone, help." She whispered as she tried to touch the ground, "M-mom, Dad…"

She couldn't hear her own voice as she cried for help;

"Chris-kun… Fuji-senpai… somebody… anybody…"

Her eyes were threatening to close as her consciousness was fighting for it. She thought of shadowing a figure but she couldn't register who it was. She breathed shallowly as she called one last name before losing her consciousness completely;

"Ryoma… kun."

* * *

**Somewhere down the lake:**

"It's no use; this lake is really far and long. We can not find Sakuno this way." Chris complained as he walked behind him.

Ryoma was irritated when all the blonde boy did was complaining, "If you are tired, you can go back. I'll look for her myself."

"You don't have the right to say that to me, I am her fiancé."

"That set up is only for public. You are not betrothed to her for real." He said keeping his stern voice as possible.

"We will in the future, anyway," Chris defended himself, "You can not change her fate."

He looked at him this time and said, "Don't say things that you are not sure."

"What did you say?" Chris was pissed as well, "You should say that to yourself," he added walking a bit closer to him, "Where's that pride you have earlier about protecting her with your stupid racket, huh?"

Ryoma glared at him but he didn't say anything. He gripped his hands tight to his side.

"You can not even use it when she was falling a while ago!"

That snapped him, he grabbed the blonde boy's collar neck, "Why you-"

"It was true; you actually dropped it when you saw her falling down the cliff." Chris glared back at him.

He gritted his teeth as he continued glaring at him. He wasn't planning to let go of him, in fact, he wanted—no needed to punch this blonde boy to wake up from his fantasy. He sighed harshly as he brusquely released him from his grip and said;

"I'll still hold on to my racket."

"What? After what happened-"

"She's my tennis," He faced him with determination in his eyes, "and I'll help her with my _tennis_."

Chris was shocked at his words. At first, he didn't understand what the tennis prodigy said to him but as he stared at his eyes, he finally understood.

"You are underestimating me," he said and then smirked, "Lloydie." With that he started to walk away from him.

"What did you address me, you idiot?"

"Mada mada no mada dane." He waved his hand after that.

Chris was pissed when he returned the catchphrase he used to him before. Well, it was his originality after all. But since he knew the meaning, he was really pissed. He shouted;

"Fine, you go your own way, I don't need you!"

Ryoma secretly grunted and rejoiced mentally. _Likewise, serves you right. _He continued walking to his side while Chris went to the opposite side. They started to search separately as they understood each other.

They would never get along with each other.

**xxx**

Fuji and Drosselmeye went to the branches of trees and started looking for her. He looked at his watch. They were been searching for an hour already and there was no sign of her. He was beginning to worry about the girl. The girl must have fall somewhere near the place. Could it be that someone found her there? What if it was the culprit? He silently cursed himself for thinking like that.

And that was bothered him since Sakuno went missing. There must be some evidences that the culprit spotted her hiding place and now was making their next plan. That means the girl was in terribly danger now. The shot was aiming for the girl's heart but luckily Meyers covered her although he was shot directly to his left arm.

That incident alone was only proven that they had been discovered.

He gripped his hands hard as he thought of something else. _I can not let Ryuzaki-sensei knows about this. She will worry her more. I'll inform Tezuka and Atobe for this._ He made his final decision as they looked further.

"The place is really broad," Drosselmeye announced as he cut the branches that were on their way, "This looks like a forest."

"Aa," he agreed as he looked above, "Let's search further."

They searched as he said.

* * *

**One hour later:**

She slowly opened her eyes. They were welcomed by bright light so she closed them again and slowly opened them once again, adjusting to the light around her. When she managed to do that, she wondered around her. The place was foreign for her as she recognized the wood that supported the four walls of the place.

"W-where am I?" she asked to no one as she suddenly sat up. As she did that, she felt a pain through her head and touched it. She noticed that her head was wrapped in bandage. She examined herself after that, She also had a bandage to her right leg and left arm. Her dress was changed into something neat. She felt a little pain but she was alright. She was in the process of remembering what happened to her when someone opened the door.

And it revealed a very young lady carrying a tray of food.

She had pigtails like Sakuno had before minus the braids so her hair was wavy and light pink in color. Her eyes were pinkish purple but it was so warm to stare at them. The young woman smiled at her as she approached her;

"I am glad you are awake." She said nicely to her. She couldn't speak as she stared at her, "You must be hungry so I prepare something for you."

She blinked twice when she said that. She blushed as she talked, "T-thank you," she reluctantly reached for the hot porridge. She just stared at it and then she remembered something, "U-mmm, what happened to me?"

The young woman looked at her and explained, "I saw you near the lake two hours ago. You were injured and almost lifeless. I panicked because I didn't know how to carry you to my place. But I discovered that you are so light. I guess you were lucky that I could carry you here."

"D-did you change my… clothes?" She blushed as she hugged her body with the blanket.

She giggled when she asked that, "Of course, I am the only person here in the forest. I live alone here. I just can't leave you with soaked clothes, can I?"

She looked down as she smiled meekly, "T-thank you then."

"Well, what happened to you before I found you in the lake?" The pigtailed lady asked her.

It was her turned to remember what happened. As she tried to remember, her head ached but as she did, memories came to her.

From playing tennis with her friends to the unexpected shot at her direction. She held her breath as she remembered what happened to her;

"I—I fell off the cliff."

"You fell off, why?"

She shook her head slowly, "I-I am not sure why." She looked down. She couldn't tell her what really happened to her. She also remembered the time of her fall where she tried to hold on something but not to avail. She was being hit by the branches of the trees in her way for several times. That must be the reason why she had bruises and wounds to her entire body. Let alone her own head.

She also saw Ryoma reaching out to her but no to avail. Then she remembered, "I-I have to go back. Everyone will be worried about me."

"Don't panic, I'll take you to the lake later but you need to rest first." The good lady reminded her.

"B-but-" she tried to protest but the pigtailed lady pushed her down the bed.

"Rest for a while besides," she looked at the corner and concentrated there, "I need to fix your clothes."

She blushed when she said that, "T-thank you… u-ummm."

She looked back at her, stared and giggled afterwards, "Silly me, I haven't introduced myself yet," she said as she touched her hand making her flinch, "My name's Rose, Manelle Rose. What about you?"

"S-Sakuno, Kit—"

"_Ryuzaki."_

"_E-eh?"_

"_You are Ryuzaki."_

"_H-hai…"_

She smiled as memories suddenly came to her and replied willingly, "Ryuzaki Sakuno."

Rose smiled at her, "Nice to meet you Sa-chan."

Blush crept to her face, "L-likewise," she said as she sat up again. She told Rose that she's okay if she just sat there. She looked around the place, "R-rose-san… why are you here? I mean—don't you have someone to return to?"

Rose stared at her and then walked to a corner where she was staring a while ago, "I do have a family but I know that they're okay without me."

"W-what do you mean by that?"

"It's complicated," she answered but then she looked at her and smiled, "but don't worry, I'll see them sooner or later. Actually they can come and visit me here."

"Where are they? Why are you alone here?"

"Sa-chan?"

She blushed when she called her name, "G-gomen nasai! I-I didn't mean to ask personal questions to you," She looked down and fidgeted with her t-shirt, "It's just that… I feel a bit jealous for those people who are with their family. It's not like I am complaining but I miss my real family."

"Are you away from them?"

She shook her head and replied, "They passed away when I was little. A rich couple adopted me recently resulting me to be away from the only relative that I have. But that's okay, my new parents are so kind to me like I'm their own real daughter."

"I see."

"I guess being with your family is the greatest thing that you can ever experience." Her eyes softened as she thought of her grandmother and her real parents.

Rose stared at her for a while and then closed her eyes before talking, "You are quite right. There's no better than being with your family," she stood up gathering her clothes, "That's why they are my inspiration."

She smiled.

She turned around missing the sad look in her eyes, "Well, they are enjoying their lives in the city but I prefer to live here," she turned to her again and said, "Ne, Sa-chan, once you come back here again, I want you to meet them, I think they will like you."

She stared at her for a while before replying, "Hai… that would be wonderful."

"I think you should finish your porridge and get enough rest. You'll need that when you leave."

She nodded once again. Then, Rose left her there to tend her clothes. She was a bit worried on their conversation a while ago. Living alone was kind of drastic and she wondered why the young woman would prefer to live in a place like this. She wanted to ask her that but it would be rude of her to enter her privacy. Well, she was not practically alone; she said that her family was visiting her there so it was not a problem once she left the place.

Rose had a beautiful feature. Her hair was nice and her eyes were warm. Her skin was delicate like she hadn't lived in a forest or anything. She must have doing something to keep her nice feature intact. She thought that the lady was cool.

_Rose-san IS really cool. _She thought as she continued eating her porridge.

* * *

**One hour later:**

She was ready to go as her dress looked fine. It was all thanks to Rose that she did something amazing with her dress. She removed all of her bandages as if Rose did something to her wounds. In just an hour, it felt like she didn't fall in the lake or something.

It was like a new outfit for her.

They were on their way back to the lake and not long ago, they reached where the place she found her three hours ago. She would appreciate the view if the fall didn't happen to her but she couldn't find in her heart to enjoy the scenery.

"You stay here, Sa-chan." Rose said as she walked ahead of her, "I can't stay with you here for I need to do something back at home. Will you able to manage by yourself?"

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine," She said, "I know that they will find me here sooner or later."

"Okay then," She walked closer to her and put something in her hand, "I want you to keep this. Just to make sure that you will be back here in the future."

She looked at her hand. It a sealed box with carvings that she didn't know. She looked back at her, "It seems that this is important to you."

"I want you to keep it," Rose said closing her opened hand, "I have this feeling that we will meet again. And my instinct never fails me."

"Rose-san…"

"For the meantime keep it, you will save a part of me if you do." She said staring at her hazel eyes.

She stared back at her. The lady in front of her was really nice and kind to her so she couldn't turn her favor down. She nodded slowly.

Rose suddenly hugged her and whispered, "Thank you Sa-chan, this day is destined for us to meet."

"Un," she blushed as she returned her hug, "Thank you for saving me. I owe you my life."

"You owe me nothing; just take care of the box."

"Hai."

Rose released her slowly, "Until then."

She waved her hand, "See you soon," she smiled.

With that she turned around to walk away from her. She watched her leave the place until she was out of her sight. When she couldn't see her with her peripheral vision, she looked around her. She put the box inside her pocket and walked to a wall next to the lake. She comfortably sat there and waited for help.

She waited.

…and waited.

…and waited.

She felt tired of waiting. She bent her knees in front of her and leaned her head there. What if no one was looking at her? How long had it been anyway? She'd been missing for how many hours? Four? Five? She stayed in Rose's house for three hours. Was that the reason that they couldn't find her? They would probably be searching for her for the first three hours.

What if they gave up searching for her?

She was tired.

She was afraid to move as well. She was in a place that was foreign for her and moving around was not a good idea.

… for she was not good at directions.

She hated herself for being careless like that. She hated herself for not sensing the danger that was coming towards her. Her tears were warning to fall from her eyes. Yet, she couldn't stop it.

"I am so pathetic," She said as she gripped her knees really hard still her head was leaning on it, "I-I don't deserve their protection."

"…no…"

She sniffed.

"…kuno!"

She slowly looked up as she heard the faint cry. Her eyes were not deceiving her.

"…are you?"

Someone was calling her and she could see the person from afar. Her heart was beating really fast as she saw the figure slowly registering from her vision.

"Sakuno!"

**xxx**

He had been searching for almost five hours now but there was no sign of her. He was getting tired of searching but he ignored the exhaustion. He needed to find her.

He was definitely worried about her. He never showed his emotions to anyone because he thought that it wasn't necessary to do so. But today, was probably an exemption.

She was missing.

Of course, he should be worried about her. He thought of looking back to where it started.

…Back at the lake.

"Where are you?" he shouted as loud as he could.

He continued walking;

"Sakuno!"

He ignored the wound that he created to his body. He couldn't careless. He cared for Sakuno more than himself. He remembered a match before that he didn't actually care about his own wound instead he still focused himself to the interrupted match. She came to him because she was worried about him that time but he just shoved her away.

But now it was different. It was always her who worried about him. For once, this time, it would be his turn to worry about her.

And there she was, sitting and leaning at the wall near to the lake. He felt relieved when he saw her there. All of his worries were gone to zero. The girl was alright but she was crying.

…And staring at something.

He wondered why the girl would stare at a distance but he would never know that unless he asked the girl so he took a step forward to reach her there.

"Sakuno!"

Only to be stopped when he heard a voice… that he barely knew.

No—he never wanted to hear at all.

He saw the person walked a few steps forward to see a full view and he was there, panting from running. His clothes were worn out and he looked tired as well.

He gripped his hands as he saw him walked closer to the girl.

"I'm glad that you are safe, Sakuno."

He heard him say. But he was shocked when the girl suddenly jumped on the person if front of her and hugged him very tightly. The person's eyes widened as he could clearly hear what the girl was saying;

"I-I thought that you will never find me." she cried on his shoulder. He was shocked at her action but quickly returned her hug.

"Everything is alright now," He said, "I'm here."

Amber eyes were glaring at them. He wanted to come out but he was once stopped by her once again.

"I'm glad that you are here… C-chris-kun… "

He only stared at them in that revealing situation.

* * *

**Done! Okay… this is getting bad, I know. What do you think Ryoma will do after that scene? Hmmm, I wonder. Well, tell me your thoughts about this chapter… **

**Another crossover character – Rose Manelle: for the meantime, I will not tell you which manga Rose belonged to. I'll reveal her in the future. Rose is just a borrowed name from her original name in the manga (You can not even see the borrowed name in the manga. I sort of invented it.) Anyway I don't own the manga or anime.**

**She is the last minor crossover character to this fic. I officially declared that the characters of Crystal Teardrops are complete now. (Whew after 35 chapters…) **

**Last night, our trainor asked me five questions and one question that I couldn't forget. He asked me, 'If you were a soft drink, what kind of drink would you like to be and why?'… I was so enlightened when I heard that question… I answered, PONTA …errr… FANTA! ! ! yes, FANTA! ! ! because Ryoma loves it—err no … because it is fruity and nutritious… tee hee hee… *sweat drops***

**Reviews please… I want to know your thoughts… Thank you very much…**

**Next chapter: Emerald eyes **


	36. Emerald Eyes

**Hi there! I am back with the new chapter. Thank you very much for the reviews. Tee hee it was weird to receive the same reviews to all of you that 'Ryoma should've found her instead of Chris'. I know you prefer that way but Chris is fighting as well. I am glad that you are not confused with the crossover characters that I am using in this fic. Anyway, I'll give a run down of them in the future. Thank you very much… I hope you like this one. ^_^**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own TeniPuri, okay.**

* * *

**Yana19 – hi… thank you for reading up to this chapter. Yeah, everyone hates Chris and they will also in the future.**

**Wow, you did remember THAT scene. I am glad despite that it was somehow in the first saga of the story. You also remembered that it was Ryoma's birthday that time and shared their first kiss. And you are right, that's where they found Asuna and the correct spelling is Teito. He did lose his memory, same as his own anime called '07-ghost'. Tee hee hee… Well, I am not going to answer your question. I think you will be given a hint if you read this chapter… **

**There will be lots of RyoSaku moments in the future but Chris will **_**sometimes**_** get in their way. But it will be RyoSaku in the end. ^_^ **

**Your _He's Obedient_ review -** **thank you very much for reading this fic… I am really glad to receive reactions from you. And you are right; he just did all of that for the sake of Ponta. **

**You made me speechless there, you don't know how much it means to me… especially when someone says something inspiring like that. Thank you very much… once again… I'll do my very best to make better stories… ^_^**

**Yumi014 - tee hee hee... let's just say he is Fuji-senpai after all. We all know how he reacts when something important to him is in danger. So that's it.**

**Ahh, I found horns on top of my head waah... ;p joke... tee hee hee... of course, the tense will no longer be surfaced if there was no scene happened like that. Ryoma hasn't reach his limit yet, and it will be at a little later... I guess... So that's it. **

**But you are right, but Ryoma will only a little irritated when he sees Fuji with Sakuno or like you said that it will be awkward if the bodyguards see her. The heated situation will be between the rivals and the next scene is here already.**

**Tee hee hee... I did say it and I almost perfected the evaluation, all hail to ponta... err... Fanta!**

**That news is interesting but I need to think of it although the deadline is on Monday already. I hope that you posted it a lot sooner so that I can pay a visit and know for myself what is really going on. My pc is not working properly and I am having a hard time posting chapters these days. I really need my own laptop now... ugh! But thank you for telling me... I hope it's not too late to see the actual page though... ^_^**

* * *

**Chapter 36: Emerald Eyes**

**Chapter Summary: The other story: They helped him remember but she was worried about it. Would he do what she requested him to do? Find that out in this chapter…**

* * *

**Flashback:**

"_I'm glad that you are safe, Sakuno."_

_He heard him say. But he was shocked when the girl suddenly jumped on the person if front of her and hugged him very tightly. The person's eyes widened as he could clearly hear what the girl was saying;_

"_I-I thought that you will never find me." she cried on his shoulder. He was shocked at her action but quickly returned her hug._

"_Everything is alright now," He said, "I'm here."_

_Amber eyes were glaring at them. He wanted to come out but he was once stopped by her once again._

"_I'm glad that you are here… C-chris-kun… " _

_He only stared for at that revealing situation._

* * *

Chris on the other hand hugged the girl tightly. He felt how scared the girl was. He wanted her to know that everything was fine now and nothing bad would happen.

…Because he was there by her side.

He wanted to prove to herself that he was capable of protecting her. That he could do it.

He could surpass what a certain tennis prodigy could do to help her. He was her fiancé for goodness sake. He had all the rights to be with her and not just a random boy with witty stunts and activities that he could do. He put his chin to her head and said;

"It's alright now, don't worry."

They remained silent for a while although, he could still hear her faint sobs. Minutes later, they heard a rustle that was coming not far from their location. He put Sakuno to his back and bravely faced the intruder.

…Whoever he might be.

Only to be pissed when he recognized who was the person standing a few meters away from them. His face was expressionless; his hand was leaning on a tree as he showed himself to them and his hat was pinned down to his face.

Sakuno on the other hand was happy to see him there.

It was Echizen Ryoma.

Chris stared at the newcomer but the latter didn't say anything. He covered himself more to Sakuno much to the girl's wondering thoughts, "She's safe now. _I_ found her." he said emphasizing the pronoun that he used.

Ryoma grunted a little before looking at him, "I can see that, good for you."

Sakuno who was at Chris' back, felt the tense between the two guys. She looked at the tennis prodigy but she couldn't read his expressions. He was not that easy to read to begin with.

"She's my responsibility for she's my fiancée."

Ryoma didn't say anything when he said that. Sakuno was alerted so she tried to break in;

"C-chris-kun… p-please, can you not say that now? E-everything is-"

"Why do you keep denying that we are, Sakuno?" He looked behind him and continued, "We will get there in the future, anyway. So learn to accept that."

She looked back at him with shocking eyes.

He stared at her and then deciding to look back at the boy in front of him;

"**She'll learn to love me."**

Sakuno reacted at his words. He spoke English. He said it slow so she understood it. She was not that fluent in English yet.

Chris smirked as he looked at him thinking that the tennis prodigy was wondering at what he said. Ryoma heed no emotion but he talked still;

"**Keep on dreaming as you can."**

Both of them were surprised when Ryoma spoke in English as well. Chris was stunned; he wasn't expecting that from him. Ryoma was smirking now as he looked straight into the blonde boy's eyes.

"**It's free to dream anyway."**

Chris recovered when he spoke again;

"**Dream will no longer be a dream if I can make it."**

"**You will never succeed of achieving it."**

"**How can you be so sure about that? You don't know me well."**

Ryoma grunted as he closed his eyes, **"That's why I can not trust you with her."**

"**What did you say?"**

"**You are physically rude to others and we all witnessed that." **Ryoma looked at him sternly, **"How can I trust you?"**

"…"

"**Tell me, Lloydie?"**

"**Stop calling me that?"**

"**You don't stand a chance-"**

"**I love her!"**

Ryoma and Sakuno were shocked at his words. His arm was still covering her whole body. Her face was beet red now. She couldn't understand the whole conversation as Ryoma spoke very fast. But on what Chris said last was very loud and clear. The blonde boy looked at her fondly;

"**I love her… a lot."**

Ryoma became wide-eyed. He gripped his hands which were on his side now. He didn't like the stare he was giving to her.

"**She doesn't love you."**

They looked at him making the girl flinch. She couldn't involve herself on their conversation. It was too much for her.

"**I can make her."**

"**You are only wasting your time."**

"**And what about you?"**

"**?!"**

"**Why do you keep bugging her?"**

"…"

"**Do you love her too?"**

His eyes widened as the blonde boy asked him that. He then looked at the blushing girl in front of him. The girl was really red by that moment. His stare that he was giving her was something meaningful but the girl couldn't catch it.

"**Answer me!"**

"**You already knew my answer."**

"**What?"**

"**She's my tennis."**

"…"

"**She knows I am left-handed." **Ryoma stared at her not planning to shift to anyone. Still speaking in English, he said his next words slowly to catch what he was trying to say;

"**And she will always stay in my **_**left**_** side." **

"…"

Sakuno was definitely shocked and confused. Why would Ryoma keep saying about tennis when she was being involved about everything? It was true that tennis was like a part of his life. Could it be the she was a part of his life too? She couldn't read that boy's thought.

Chris was pissed because he understood what the boy said to them. He secretly looked at his side and studied the girl's reaction. Judging from the girl's reaction, she was still oblivious of his words. He inwardly smiled because of that.

The boy would need to work at his own words.

"**As long as I am here, I am going to protect you." **He looked at her intensely. He was showing no sign of giving up.

"**You don't need to, I am willing to take your place."** Chris interrupted.

"**You can not stop me."**

She felt that if she was not going to stop them, they would end up fighting with each other. She pulled Chris' arm down and interrupted;

"P-please, stop it now," She said stepping between them, "I am really glad that you two are here for me. Please, stop fighting."

Both of them stopped talking. Ryoma pinned his hat down and looked away, "che."

Sakuno looked at the tennis prodigy. At that moment, she knew that he didn't do his job well, like he always did. She couldn't read his expression and maybe that was the reason why.

He thought that he couldn't protect her that time.

She slowly walked to the boy and gently grabbed his hands making the latter flinch in the process. She looked at him with a genuine smile; small tears were still visible on her face;

"I am glad that you are here to find me as well, E-echizen-kun," she looked down, "I am very happy… thank you very much."

Ryoma on the other hand was shocked when the girl did that. When he recovered, he gripped her hands tight as he smiled a little, oblivious for the girl's vision, "Un."

Chris looked away at that annoying scene. He didn't want to argue anymore for it was the girl who requested it. What important was the girl was safe.

Not long ago, Fuji and Drosselmeye appeared in the scene. They felt relieved when they found her there. Sakuno felt a little overwhelmed that they came looking at her and remembered Wein who covered himself for her. When she learned that the soldier was okay, she felt relieved at everything now.

...Only when Fuji broke it.

Fuji announced that she was gone missing for more than five hours now and her parents were already at their meeting place. They didn't have a choice but to tell them the truth and became panic. He called her parents right away and told them that she was alright.

"We need to go back now." Fuji said after answering Drosselmeye's phone call from her parents, "They want to see, Ryuzaki-chan."

Sakuno nodded and they quickly left the place. They reunited with her parents once again and felt how worried they were. Reina forbid her to go out from the hotel from now on. She was being restricted to go out except for the rooftop with bodyguards and for those people who could protect her.

Mud Island was an unexpected experience and journey for her. It was scary but mysteriously new to her. Because of that place, she met a very kind lady that she never knew when to meet her again. Although, she promised that they would in the future.

* * *

**Japan:**

Emerald eyes were staring at a picture.

…A picture of a young brown-haired boy and hazel eyes.

He blinked as he kept staring at the smiling boy from the picture and then looked at the two guests who were visiting him last night.

They appeared in front of them last night claiming that he was Tiashe or something. At least, the girl was telling him that he was.

But he couldn't remember anything. Before they could continue conversing with the upcoming revelations, the good old lady suggested that they should rest first and start with the talk next thing in the morning.

And there they were; he was looking at the picture of a boy. He looked at the girl in front of her, "Who is this boy?"

Pain registered to the maid's face as Fakir looked at her. Ahiru reached for his hand with the photo on and answered his question;

"He's… important to you," she stared at his emerald eyes, "Tiashe-sama."

Everyone in the room looked at them. Asuna who was oblivious from the start interrupted the tense aura between them;

"Wait! Why are you calling Teito-kun, Tiashe-sama?" The girl in pink said as she stared at Ahiru, "Who are you anyway?"

Fakir talked this time, "We came for a reason, Harukaze-san," the knight said between the two, "He is the reason why we came here for."

Teito looked at them, "Why are you looking for me? And who is this boy?"

Ahiru left his hand and talked, "He's your son, sire."

Teito's eyes became widened, "I have… a son?" he looked back at the picture he was holding.

The maid nodded, "You bore a child to a friend of mine."

Everyone remained speechless as Teito tried to remember something. Upon doing that, a mild pain throbbed suddenly on his temples. He reached for it as he closed his eyes tight. Asuna and her grandmother approached the young man.

"I guess Teito-san should rest for a while. Everything is so fast for him." The old lady said.

Fakir and Ahiru nodded.

"Asuna take Teito-san to his room."

"Hai." The girl said as she stood up and approached the young man.

Teito raised a hand stopping the girl from approaching him. He then looked at their unexpected guests and asked, "Where is this boy? And where is the mother of my child?"

Ahiru looked down as she gripped her hands to her lap, "T-the child's in my custody… but the mother… I-I don't know where she is."

"I want to see this boy, bring me to him."

Both of them were surprised at his request. Fakir answered his plead, "Tiashe-sama, I am afraid we can not do that."

He looked at them and stared when he recovered from the pain, "What do you mean? You came all the way here, looking for me and telling me that I have a son and now you wouldn't even bring me to him? How ridiculous can you get?"

Ahiru defended the knight, "S-sire, please you must understand. You don't have your memories back yet. And you don't know what really happened several years ago."

"What do you mean? I don't understand anything of this?"

"I'll help you remember," Ahiru looked at him, "and then you will see your child."

Teito looked at her and thought really hard. The offer was tempting him. He was oblivious about his past and now someone was claiming that she knew him and in addition that he actually had a son. He was beginning to suspect that his life was not easy. He had hints from the past that somehow he was running away from someone with two people beside him.

And his hints were confirmed at least the one of them. His dreams were telling him that he was running, carrying an infant and an average girl as he thought as same age as him. The infant might be his child and the average girl was probably his wife. He found his resolve as he looked to the both of them;

"Okay, help me gain my memories back."

Ahiru was happy when Teito agreed. Fakir stared at the maid beside her. He grabbed her hand making the girl flinch in the process and smiled back at him;

"And call me Teito, okay. I am not used to be called Tiashe-sama or something." He looked away as he said that.

They just smiled at his little stubbornness that he showed.

"Okay, the important issue is finished now; let's have breakfast, shall we?" The old lady announced when she sensed that the tense was subsided now.

* * *

**Later on:**

Ahiru was sitting on _their _bed thinking something. Everything was fine now although she was a bit worried. She could say that she was thankful that Teito couldn't remember anything. Unbeknownst to the young man, she knew him well.

…All too well.

She felt a bit sad that her good 'master' couldn't remember her. But it was good for the meantime. By the time, he would remember everything; no one would know what would the young man do just to retrieve what was his. He even dared try to help the mistress at all cost if that happened.

Taking an action now, or revealing him without any idea who he was would be a great risk for the innocent people.

…And that what she was worried about.

She was in those thoughts when Fakir entered _their _room and sat beside her;

"I talked to Harukaze-san and to her grandmother. They agreed that we should stay here for a couple of weeks until Teito-sama recovers his memories."

"I see, thank you, Fakir-san." She said.

Fakir looked at her and asked a question, "Hey, why do you keep this as a secret to Reinja-dono? Why are you keeping this as a secret to them?"

Ahiru looked at him, "I-I don't want to reveal Teito-sama to them yet. I don't want to put him in danger as he is still oblivious about the chaos that is happening to his clan."

"You can not hide this forever, you know."

She looked away as she stared at her fingers, "I know… it's not like I'm going to hide it. I'll keep him here as long as he doesn't know his true self," her eyes softened, "I guess telling about Capella-kun was too early for him."

Fakir stared at her for a while before saying his next words a bit hesitantly, "Are you sure… you're not his mother?"

She quickly looked back at him and said, "I-I am not! I-I am just his guardian. M-my Lady entrusted her son to me. She's a great friend that I couldn't reject her offer."

"Good." He whispered as he looked down.

Unfortunately Ahiru didn't hear him. The girl leaned forward to him, "F-fakir-san."

Everything was fast as she blinked her eyes. She was lying on the bed.

With him hovering her… on top.

She blushed really hard but she was able to stare at him. His eyes were telling seriousness as they stared down at hers.

"Hey, I want to try something, will you let me?" he said not shifting his eyes to hers.

Her heart beat fast as she asked him back, "W-what is it?"

He smirked as he leaned down and whispered something to her ear. Her eyes widened as blush rushed right to her face. She was about to move trying to get away from him but the knight caught her wrists and pinned her down there.

"What's wrong? We are _married_ after all." He smirked wider.

She held her breath when the knight said that. Yeah, they were married.

…At least, in the eyes of the owners of the house.

Fakir introduced themselves as a newly-wed couple and decided to postpone their honeymoon because they are looking for Teito. He didn't go into the details but the old lady just let them in and provided the best room for the both of them.

"F-fakir-san, y-you know that we are only act-" she was cut when the knight's lips covered hers. Her eyes widened once again. He was kissing her… passionately and he was tempting her to respond.

"Lower you voice, they will hear you." he whispered to her ear before biting it.

She gasped when he did that. Fakir was doing things that she didn't expect to happen. It was far beyond her imaginations. Never did in her life that Fakir would notice her. She was just a mere maid from the mansion and he was a gorgeous knight that every girl wished to be with.

"Let me touch you."

Her eyes were snapped opened when he whispered another word from her ear. This time, she tried to say her words;

"F-fakir-san… w-what are you saying?" She was trembling as memories kept coming to her, "W-why are you doing this?"

"I'll touch you, not the way he was doing to you."

She gasped for the second time. He leaned back and stared at her.

"He was touching you painfully and I hated it," He seriously said his words, Ahiru was still speechless, "I want to heal you by touching you back."

She stared at him still not knowing what to say. He touched her face and realized that she was crying at that moment. He started touching her there gently passing the message that he only meant that and nothing else. He wanted her to remember his touch and not her cold-blooded master whoever he was.

He touched her from the cheek, nose, lips and chin. Down to her neck and collar bone.

"I won't go beyond touching. I'll take you… when you are ready." He said. His eyes were locked to hers as he continued touching her.

She stopped crying but she was blushing really hard. Fakir was touching her and he was true to his words. He was gentle. She didn't even notice that he already opened her blouse until she felt him there. She gasped once again. Her eyes widened when she realized what he had said earlier. Didn't he say he'd take her… when she was ready? Did that mean, he would take her in the future? Her mind was spinning with emotions. She closed her eyes as she felt him everywhere.

"This is the indirect honeymoon we are having." He commented as he stopped touching her.

"Fakir-san…" she whispered as she hugged her body that he just touched. She closed her eyes due to shyness or embarrassment. She couldn't stare at the knight who was still on top of her.

Fakir lowered himself and gave her a chaste kiss before whispering to her ear once again, "If he punished you that way, just tell me. And I'll _heal _you, okay."

She blushed once again. She couldn't find a word to reply. Fakir lied to her side and hugged her tightly, making her secure that she was safe in his arms. When she found comfortable in his hug, she responded and whispered;

"Thank you."

Fakir was satisfied when he heard her whisper. He never thought that he would do that to her. He was unconsciously provoked when he learned that someone was molesting her. That was so unforgivable. Touching her in a different way which she wouldn't get scared was his only way to protect her.

He had so many things to do before executing his own plans. But he was glad that the orange-haired braided girl trusted herself to him. He buried his face to her face as they decided to sleep in that position.

* * *

**Meanwhile:**

Teito was in his own room, still holding the picture of his so-called 'son' that he didn't know. How could he forget? What really happened to him? In the past? The Ahiru-girl told him that he was some kind of an heir or something and was leaving with his Uncle years ago.

His Uncle Reinja, the recent owner of Kitazawa corp. and the second wealthiest man in Japan. He had another Uncle but they didn't know where he was and his father was also no where to be found.

He tried to remember those tiny information but he couldn't get something from them. He didn't know if he could trust the two about his identity.

But then, he remembered Ryoma and Sakuno. The not-so-popular-couple they met months ago. He remembered the conversation that he had with the girl. His past as he predicted was somewhat scary but he would face it. Now that he had evidence to his identity, he would find his way to remember himself. He never prepared to be empty and hollow anymore or else he would end up running away from the truth like he told her before.

He had a mission to do now. He discovered that he had a son and he didn't feel disappointed about it. In fact, he felt of seeing the boy as soon as possible. Then, he remembered another thing,

Was he married?

Who was his wife?

Where was she right now?

Then he took out something from his pocket that he didn't show to Fakir and Ahiru. It was the Eye of Michael. He stared at the green stone for a while before playing it with his hand. He frowned as he stared at it. And then a painless throb was attacking his temple as he dropped the ball on the floor. He felt like his brain was splitting into two pieces.

He shut his eyes tight as he held his head real tight. He kept himself from screaming to avoid getting attention to the other people inside the house. Vague memories suddenly rushed into his brain. His eyes opened a little as he recognized a slight memory;

They were running like what happened in his dream. He was holding an infant boy in his hand as he clearly remembered. He believed that the boy in the picture was the infant that he was carrying. He was holding another hand but it was blurry and he couldn't recognize the person.

But he knew it was a girl. The lady had long hair but he couldn't get the hairstyle as well as the face. But he could see that the girl had fair skin. That was all he could notice from the girl. They continued running from he still didn't know who. They went to a place and were ready to go inside but before he could lead the two inside, the lady stopped and gave something to him.

She whispered something to his ear before giving him a chaste kiss to his lips and did the same to the infant who was crying at that moment. With that the girl decided to run a different direction. He tried to stop her and simply called her name very loud.

His eyes were snapped opened as he remembered those scenes approximately 5 years ago. He was catching for his breath as he looked at the picture and stared at it for a long time. The pain in his head seemed to be subsided a little. When he recovered from the shock he searched for the green stone on the floor. He picked it up when found it. He was staring at the stone.

It was the same stone that the fine lady gave to him that night. He gripped the stone in his hand really hard as he remembered a name that he shouted in that scenario and whispered it that only he could hear;

"…Ouka."

* * *

**Done! How was this chapter? This is getting longer. I know… I just want to get on with the mystery as fast as possible to avoid confusion. I'll do my best to fill the sequence correctly.**

**Guys I need to CLARIFY something; Rafael's child is a girl. Sorry about that, I think I remembered from my previous chapters where they talked about searching for the heir in different countries, Reina didn't know that child's gender also about Ahiru saying that she knew where Rafael's child was, in _'Mud Island'_ chapter She meant son-in-law not Rafael's child that's why they arrived in Hakuou city where they found Teito there. In _'Picking up the pieces together'_ chapter, it is indicated that Rafael's child is a girl. So to finalize, Rafael's child is a GIRL. PM me if you are confused thanks… ^_^**

**I haven't checked this chapter yet, so sorry for a little misunderstanding and for the grammar mistakes… I guess I made myself confuse with my own characters… Please tell me if you notice something suspicious and then I'll correct them thanks. ^_^**

**Reviews please! I want to hear your thoughts… Please… motivate me more… thanks…**

**Next Chapter: Starting point **


	37. Starting Point

**Hi there! I am back again… every week tee hee hee… Enjoy this new chapter I guess.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Prince of Tennis and never will.**

* * *

**Yumi014 – yeah it is alright tee hee hee…**

**Well, Teito is indeed older than Ryoma and Sakuno, in the 07-ghost anime, he's 15 years old but in my fic I'll make him 22 here same as his wife.**

**Tee hee hee… Fakir is getting Ooc here… he's becoming the other version of Ryoma, well Ahiru is clumsy in her own Anime… Hmmm…**

**That will be a secret for now… tee hee hee… if you are a manga lover maybe you will recognize her and if you did can you keep for a while and reveal it later on… tee hee hee…**

**It's okay… I didn't have a time to visit online anyway since my pc is not working properly. But thank you for the information… ^_^**

* * *

**Chapter 37: Starting Point**

**Chapter Summary: Just when they got some hints with their search, they hated the real results. They wouldn't like to start all over again without finding any result.**

* * *

**Greece:**

They visited the place as they discovered the area. But the problem was; it was abandoned six years ago. No one was residing the place anymore. It was an ancestral house Rafael's immediate family used to live in when they were in Greece. Villagers told them that it was been vacant since they left without trace.

No one knew where they disappeared to.

"**Can we look inside?"** Shishido asked an old lady in English who explained everything to them.

"**Go on, young man. No one dared to enter that house for it seemed creepy. But you can if you like." **The old lady replied in English.

Shishido thanked her and went inside. Chotaro followed him as well. They searched the place and like what the old lady said, it was definitely creepy. The whole place was covered with cobweb and the furniture seemed to be old and useless without being used for years. Shishido touched the wall and a cabinet that were all dusty. Chotaro blew some dust to a picture that was hanging on the wall making him cough in the process. When recovered, Chotaro swept the dust with his fingers and stared at the picture.

"Shishido-san, look at this." Chotaro called the attention of his doubles partner and friend.

Shishido went near him and stared at the picture he was staring at, "This is…"

"Yeah, it was the same picture we saw in the library," he confirmed, "They did live here like what the picture said but it seemed this place was left abandoned six years ago."

"You are right but why would they leave this place?" Shishido wondered as he stared at the picture. It was a family portrait of Rafael's family, bigger than what we had in his hands. The dash specialist studied their looks. He could clearly recognize Rafael in the picture for an unknown reason.

He looked at the other people in the picture. There was a woman beside Rafael which he claimed as his wife. Her hair was hazel and beside her was a girl which he estimated as eleven or twelve years of age. They left the place when she turned seventeen or eighteen. He remembered Reinja telling them that the child's age would be twenty-two or twenty-three as of now. Making the possible heir's age would be five or six years of age.

_The heir is very young but I think Rafael's child can take the role of his own child for a while._ Shishido thought as he took the picture they found in the library and stared at the bottom part of it. It was the date where the picture was taken, exactly ten years ago. At the back, there was the address of the place which they found so easily.

"Where could they be?" Chotaro asked cutting his reverie.

"I don't know," Shishido answered as he yanked his phone, "Let's call Atobe." He dialed their captain's number and immediately answered;

'Did you find anything?'

'It's confirmed. They used to live here but not anymore.'

'So, they are not there now.'

'Seems like it. The place was left abandoned for six years and we didn't know the reason why?' Shishido said, 'I don't think that they are still here. Something must have happened on their stay here, I presume.'

'It was abandoned for six years you say?' Atobe asked on the other line.

'Hai.'

'And that's where the mystery takes place.'

'Eh?'

'The child's heir is probably five or six years old. The real culprit must have targeted the heir back then.'

'I thought of the same thing too, captain,' He confirmed, 'they made a move before the culprit assaulted them.'

'Hn, I see,' Atobe said, 'that's enough information. Go back here now and let's make another plan.'

'Hai.'

With that he ended the call and faced Chotaro, "Let's go back to Japan, our mission here is over."

"Hai."

They started to walk away but before they could leave at the entrance door, Shishido noticed something, "Wait, Chotaro."

Chotaro followed him with his eyes and went to a corner. Shishido looked at the wall and found something on it. Curious, Chotaro walked towards him and was surprised at what his doubles partner discovered;

"S-shishido-san…"

"I know… I'll give Atobe-buchou a call back on this." With that he called Atobe once again. The captain of Hyotei answered it quickly.

'What is it?'

'Buchou, I'll send you something in a minute, I think you better look carefully on this.'

* * *

**Azerbaijan:**

"Oshitari, I am tired. Can we rest for a bit?" Gakuto asked his doubles partner as they looked at the artifacts they where viewing in a museum.

"Not until we found a single clue." The Hyotei tensai answered him.

"But I am hungry; I am losing enough sugar for the day."

"Hush, Gakuto, I'll treat you something to eat if you ever find one."

"Really?"

He nodded exasperatedly earning praise from him, "quite it, stop making a scene here."

"Hai, hai." He said as he continued looking like he was doing as well.

The search to historical places was pretty tiring. They went to several places but they couldn't find any news from the people they were searching for. It was the third place that they searched for the week and they couldn't find any clue. Not even a single hint.

_Could they be using a different alias so that it was hard for their pursuer to find them? No, that couldn't be. We are not pretty sure if they are on our side or not. They could be changing their names if they are really hiding from the real pursuer. If they did that, then it was really hard for us to find them. _Oshitari thought really hard as he was staring at a rock that was in front of them. Finding no interesting info about the artifact they left the area.

They went to a different location of the museum. They found interesting things, yes but they didn't find anything that is related to their search. Gakuto kept whining about being hungry every minute. It was unfortunate for the acrobatic player because food was not allowed inside the museum. Oshitari wanted to hit his partner for being childish once again but refrained from doing so.

He left Gakuto where he was standing and looked for certain documents. He was busy studying those documents when he heard his doubles partner's voice;

"Hey, Oshitari, come here."

"What is it?" He thought about him complaining once again but his reaction was telling him otherwise.

He was somewhat shocked at what he was seeing right now. Without waiting for his reply, he quickly walked to his location and followed what he was staring at.

It was a painting. An Aurora borealis view on a hill that varies in color. It was a pleasant image for those people who came to stare at it. But it was not the painting that caught by the acrobatic player.

It was the painter.

"Ne, do you think that Rafael is a painter?" Gakuto asked him.

"I'm not sure," Oshitari looked at the signature of the painter. It was indeed Rafael's name that was scribbled on it. But he noticed something, "I am not really sure, look at the date."

Gakuto followed his trail of vision and saw what he was trying to imply, "It was painted 75 years ago. Man, this painting looked antique but why did it look so new?"

Oshitari sighed at Gakuto's innocence, "The painting was made seventy-years ago. It was impossible for Rafael to paint this one. The reason why it looked new was because of the museum's maintenance."

Gakuto looked away, "I knew that, geez."

"Yeah, right," he said as he yanked his phone, "We need to inform Atobe about this." It rang for three times before Atobe answered it.

'Buchou, I need you to see this. I'll send you a picture of a painting.'

'…A painting?'

'Hai… from Rafael.'

'So, Rafael is a painter.'

'We are not certain yet, I'll let you see the picture in a minute.'

'Okay, I also received a picture from Greece. After you send the picture to me, go back here immediately, we have important things to discuss.'

'Hai.' With that he ended the call and faced Gakuto, "We need to go back to Japan now."

"What?" Gakuto was a bit shocked, "Hey, you promised that you will treat me after this."

Oshitari sighed, "Okay, okay. Let's go to a cake shop or bakery or something. I am a bit hungry too."

Gakuto was delighted when he heard his doubles partner. At least they would be tasting Azerbaijan's delicacies before going home to Japan.

* * *

**Memphis, Tennessee:**

"How did that happen? How come Sakuno fell off that cliff?" Reinja asked them on the round table. Sakuno sat next to Reina. They were just arrived that night from Mud Island and settled on the table in the couple's room.

"We apologize for not paying attention around us." Wein and Drosselmeye bowed in front of them.

"Before the incident happened, I saw a flash straight at her location. I tried warning your daughter but it was too late." Fuji explained.

"Don't tell me that the culprit knew where we are right now?" Reina looked at Sakuno worriedly.

Everyone looked at each other and remained silent. Fuji broke it;

"I am afraid that will be the case."

"What are we going to do now?" Chris was the first one to ask, "Do we need to send Sakuno to a different country again?"

"That would be unnecessary." Fuji answered his question. Everyone looked at him.

"What do you mean by that?" Reinja asked the tensai.

Fuji sighed as he explained, "On what we had discovered today, it is clear that the culprit knew her whereabouts and located her right away after a few days of staying. It is not impossible that the culprit could do the same thing if she goes to a different country."

"What is in your mind then?" Chris asked him straight to the eye.

"The culprit from Mud Island disappeared quickly as long as Ryuzaki-chan fell off the cliff. Unfortunately, it was a swift plan that whoever did it thought really hard," Fuji said facing them, "since the place is pretty close here, and we don't know when the culprit will strike back, we need to guard your daughter twenty-fours a day."

"What do you want us to do?" Reina asked him.

Fuji looked at the worried face of the girl and said, "I am sorry Ryuzaki-chan but you have to lock yourself up in your room. I think transferring you to a different room without a terrace would be safer enough for you."

Sakuno was shocked at his words. She was going to be locked up in a room. Like a prisoner. Without freedom, without doing things that she desired. She looked down, "I… I understand."

Ryoma was silent all the time as he looked at the sad expression of the girl. The girl would be locked up for her safety, meaning that no one would see her except for her parents and the bodyguards. He couldn't see her for a while since they were going to search seriously this time. Both he and Fuji would start searching next thing in the morning. They should make a move now and they should do it fast.

They needed to find the heir as soon as possible.

"Wein how was your injury?" Reina asked after a series of silence.

Wein grabbed his arm lightly as he bowed a little, "I am fine, it's nothing. It's the least I could do for the mistress."

Sakuno looked at the injured soldier and smiled weakly at him, "M-meyers-san. Thank you… for covering for my life," She looked down and continued, "and I am sorry."

Wein bowed at her in respect, "No need to apologize milady. I am just doing my job."

"Everyone is tired now, it's been a long day," Reinja announced, "But Chris I need you to do something for me, come with me for a while. Dear, fix Sakuno's new room and escort her there."

"Okay," She said and then looked at the four people in front of her, "Come with us for a while."

The four followed the fair lady. Sakuno looked at Chris and smiled a bit. Chris approached her and kissed her cheek. He looked at her fondly and said, "Don't worry, everything will be fine. I'll see you tomorrow then."

She smiled more at him and replied, "H-hai… thank you very much."

Unknown to them, Ryoma was staring from the very beginning. His expression was non-readable but deep inside he was raging. He hated the feeling. It was not like him to hold a grudge to someone.

It was not so like him.

He needed to return to his old self, his old self that was stoic, quiet and showing no emotion. Something that Sakuno couldn't read. He was good at that. But he couldn't hide his feelings anymore. Not that a lot of things happened to the girl.

He wanted to be her savior at all cost.

…Someone that she could lean on.

…Someone that she could look up to.

…Just liked the old times.

…With no interferes and show offs.

But he couldn't do it properly if someone wanted to share that role without him being asked permission to, much to his annoyance.

He never wanted to share that special role, over his not-so-dead body.

No one knew how much he wanted to punch someone.

…Except for a tensai of course. He looked at him as he tapped his shoulder;

"You know all too well who she's really thankful for."

He looked at him just that, without replying any word to him. Sensing that he was not saying anything, the tensai closed his eyes and walked ahead of him, "Keep your cool, she will love that."

Ryoma stared at his back then a smirk formed on his lips, "Heh, you are such a good adviser now."

He just whispered those words but Fuji still heard him. He just smiled as he always did.

* * *

**Later on:**

Everything was very fast in one night. They transferred her to a smaller room but were free and comfortable enough to breath and enough to move around. There was no window that she could look from outside and that was the sad part of it.

It was like a prison as she imagined it.

She was left alone as everyone went to their rooms. Although Drosselmeye was guarding her outside as Wein was being instructed to rest for the night so that they could switch place in the morning. Reina promised to see her everyday and kept her company as possible as she could. Reinja would the same thing as well.

Now she was alone in that hollow place, sitting on her new comfy bed. _What am I going to do now? _She thought as she was busy thinking and looking down the ground. She didn't notice someone entered the room and was already standing in front of her.

"You let your guard down at this moment."

She flinched when someone talked in front of her. She quickly looked up and saw him in front of her.

"You didn't notice me coming, remember buchou's reminder as always, Ryuzaki."

"Echizen-kun…" she whispered his name. Ryoma was just standing in front of her. His hands were in his pocket while his eyes were locked to hers. He was not wearing his hat at that moment; probably he left it in his room. Noticing that she was staring at him for long, she looked down as blush rushed to her cheek, "W-what are you doing here?"

Ryoma looked around as he studied the place, "typical for a caged princess, huh?"

"M-mou, stop it," she pouted, "b-but why are you here?"

"Fuji-senpai is outside talking to Drosselmeye-san."

She looked up to him once again, "He is… but you haven't answered my question yet."

"He is keeping the bodyguard busy to let us have this privacy."

"E-echizen-kun…"

"We'll be leaving tomorrow morning."

"E-eh?!"

"We will start searching for the other heir north from here; we will be very busy from now on."

"I know," She looked down once again and started fidgeting with her fingers, "I hope that the missing heir will be on our side."

Silence invaded between them.

"We will not be hanging around for a couple of weeks."

She flinched when the boy said that. She knew what he meant. She wouldn't be seeing him for a while. She gripped her hands for a while before calming them and then looked back at him, "I'll be fine."

Ryoma just stared at her, keeping the same stoic reaction he had.

Sakuno stared at him before giving her best smile, "Don't worry about me, it's not like I can escape here or something."

Having said that, Ryoma walked closer and sat beside her. He placed his hands behind him as he looked parallel to the ceiling, "Actually, I wanted to take you away from here."

She gasped when he said that. Her flushed face became flushed even more.

"Take you back home to Ryuzaki-sensei and cheer again for us," Ryoma said still not looking at her, "I don't care if you go with your best friend every day and forced you to wear something to cheer us on."

Her eyes were widened as she listened to his words. Never did in her life that Ryoma could talk like that to her. Take a mental note that he said it quite long. She flinched when Ryoma suddenly looked at her and gave her a frown look;

"But don't you ever interrupt me when I am in the middle of the game, okay."

She leaned a little back and pouted, "M-mou! Y-you can not stop me from worrying if you get injured."

He smirked when she replied that but got serious after a while, "Then stop making me worry as well."

"E-eh?" She gasped as he raised a hand and tilted her chin a bit upward.

"Never retrieve a ball once one fell on the ground." He reminded her before slowly leaning closer to her.

Sakuno saw what he was trying to do. She gently pushed him away before he could touch her and quickly looked away, "N-no, don't…"

She didn't know his reaction when she rejected him. She knew that he was still looking at her, probably wearing a shock reaction as she guessed if she dared look. She closed her eyes as she was about to apologize when he repeated his action.

He caught her chin gently but firmly this time making her to look at him. He stared at her blushing face. His other hand moved to her other side as he leaned closer to her for the second time.

And this time, with succeeding action.

Her eyes widened as she felt his lips touch hers. She couldn't react as he was gently kissing her. Knowing that she couldn't react, his hands traveled at the back of her neck while the other was on her back, still kissing her in the process. Her eyes softened as she gripped his sleeves. _Ryoma-kun… w-why? I… I want to be happy at this moment… but… the situations are stopping me. W-with lots of obstacles that are coming to me… I don't think I can completely become happy with this. _She thought the sad reality.

She had been wishing—no dreaming of this day before. When there were no Kitazawas, fiancé and the culprit being involved. But things were different now. Her life was in danger; everyone might be in danger because of her. Upon remembering that, she pushed him gently once again with her one hand while covering her mouth with the other.

Ryoma on the other hand, stared at her reaction. She was blushing of course, because of the kiss he gave her, yeah. But she was hurt for the unknown reason. It wasn't about the kiss, was it? He frowned, "Ryuzaki, don't tell me you prefer him to kiss you?"

Her eyes widened as she looked at him. She quickly denied the fact, "N-no… o-of course not! I-it's just that… I-I'm not into… doing that kind of thing now," she looked away, "N-not that my life is in danger."

"Has it got something to do about kissing you?"

She blushed ten shades of red on her face, "M-mou, R-ryo-" She stopped when she realized what he was about to call him. She quickly looked at him who wore the reaction as hers but before he could speak she did so first, "I-I told you… y-you are important to me… I-I can not be happy when I put my friends in danger."

Ryoma didn't speak for a while but did so as he closed his eyes, "I'll kiss you whenever I want."

She was shocked when he said that. Ryoma grabbed her hand and gripped it firmly.

"I just can not let him do what he please," he said to her straight to her eyes, "I've known you first no matter how we put it. But you are right; this is not the right time to do things that _I _desire."

"W-what do you mean?" she asked innocently.

Instead of answering her, he gave her a tight hug, giving her an assurance that everything was going to be alright.

"E-echizen-kun…"

"Stay safe here," he whispered to her ear, "I'll protect you at all cost."

She bit her lower lip as he said that. Tears were warning to fall down her cheek.

"And don't you dare cry in front of me. I don't want to leave a 'sniffler' behind."

"Mou! Stop teasing me already." She retorted a little weak as she leaned to his shoulder.

They stayed there for a while before Ryoma broke the hug himself. Sakuno cried a little that he ended up wiping them. He fixed her hair which was a little messy before standing up and walked away. Sakuno was a bit worried now that he was leaving and didn't know when he could return again.

"When this is all over…"

She blinked her eyes twice. Ryoma was still standing in front of her, with his back facing her he continued;

"When everything is in place…" he paused and then looked at his shoulder to have a side view of her, "There is something I want you to know."

She stared at him as her blush came down on her. Not saying anything the boy continued;

"Wait for me then," He reminded her, "I'll definitely tell you someday."

She was speechless as she looked back at him. Everything that Ryoma was saying now was totally unexpected. But she was able to nod at his words after a series of silence.

He gave her a smirk, "ja matta." He said before opening the door and went out.

She was left alone for a long time when Ryoma exited the room. She bit her lower lip as she looked down. Never in her life to expect that would something like that happen. Not to the situation she was in. It was weird for her to see Ryoma speak like that. The boy never talked long like that before. Was it because the situation was asking for it? Or was it because she was definitely in danger that something must be done first? She didn't want a situation like that. If she had a chance to escape that life without putting somebody in danger, she would definitely do so.

She was alone in that room again. She mentally apologized to Ryoma as her tears fell down her face once again. The thought of being locked up in her own room was the last thing she could imagine. Everything was different now, everything changed and everything was complicated. Then, she remembered something. She yanked something from her pocket and stared at it.

It was the box that Rose gave her, the box that had special carvings on it. It was small and easy to carry. She wasn't able to show it to everyone as she mentally forgot about it. She even forgot to tell them that she met a very nice lady in that place. Having that thought, she wiped her tears away and smiled as she thought of her new found friend.

_I wonder if her family is visiting her right now._ Gripping the box on her lap, she wished to meet her again in the future and gave her proper thanks of taking care of her.

* * *

**Hakuou City, Japan, One week later;**

She woke up early one morning. But she felt something to her waist, stopping her from getting up. Then, she became aware of her surrounding.

She was in a different room.

And she was with someone.

Who was hugging her.

Fakir was hugging her.

Her eyes widened as she realized her position. She was lying beside the knight with his arm as her pillow. His other hand was really on her waist. She panicked secretly as blush crept on her face. _Waaah… F-fakir-san was hugging me all night. W-what is really happening?_ Then, she noticed something on his neck.

It was the necklace that she gave him on Christmas day.

…The necklace that saved her life for several times.

…The necklace that gave her life to the fullest.

She smiled as she lightly touched it with her bare fingers. The necklace was giving the knight a new life. She knew that Fakir would be needing the necklace more than she did. Now that he knew her secret. Her reverie was cut when a hand to her waist suddenly tightened making her draw closer to the knight. She blushed once again.

"What are you doing?"

She flinched when the knight suddenly talked, "F-fakir-san! Y-you are awake."

"I am more than you know."

She looked down as she tried to place her hands between them. Memories from last night came back to her as she remembered that her clothes were still open. The same action that happened between them on their first arrival repeated after a week. She woke up in the middle of the night having that bad dream, a dream that she never wanted to remember even in her dreams. Fakir ended up comforting her doing the same thing again with kisses added, "I-I was s-staring at the necklace I gave you."

Fakir stared at her and said, "Do you want it back?"

Ahiru stared up at him and replied, "N-no… I-I am just happy that you are wearing it."

He smirked as he heard that, "I am always wearing it."

She looked down and smiled, "T-thank you…"

They stayed there for a while before Ahiru broke it, "F-fakir-san… I-I think… w-we should get up now."

"Why?"

"W-we have a mission to do, remember?" her eyes widened when she felt the grip tightened to her waist, "F-fakir-san!"

Fakir kissed her head making her blush in the process. She felt his lips there. He became serious as he whispered, "I'll protect you at all cost, remember that."

Her eyes widened as she heard him say that. Knowing security in his arms, she hugged him back. Still blushing on her face, she could feel their own skin touch each other but she ignored it. They didn't do it but she felt like they really did.

"Let's get up now."

It was her turn to frown. She was about to ask him but he interrupted;

"You don't want me to continue where we left off last night, do you?"

Blush returned to her face as she suddenly distanced herself away from him, not forgetting to cover her body, "S-stop teasing me already." With that Fakir stood up still smirking at her.

Minutes later, they got up to continue helping Teito remember about his past. They started a week ago but not much was progressing, although, the young lad remembered little by little. They thought that it would be better than nothing. They exited their room only to be welcomed by the pair of emerald eyes;

"T-teito-kun!" Ahiru called his name.

Teito looked at them seriously to the both of them. He bowed but he never said a word.

"Do you have something to tell us?" Fakir asked him this time.

Teito nodded.

"Well… what is it?" the maid asked him.

"I made a decision." Teito started.

"A decision?" the knight repeated, "for what?"

Teito didn't reply for a while before finally saying his words;

"I am going to look for my wife."

* * *

**Done! How was it? I guess I am making myself complicated here… err… I mean the story… hints and clues are stating to reveal themselves now. Find out in the next chapter.**

**For those who are curious about Teito, you can read my 07-ghost fic entitled A small, big surprise. Different characters are there and the relationship they have with him are noticeable. Reading that fic may reveal his true self well, if you watch the anime you will know what I mean. Just for a change… read that fic… not forgetting for your free time ONLY thanks… ^_^**

**Reviews please! Need motivation… I really need it now…**

**Next Chapter: The Missing Eye**


	38. The Missing Eye

**Hi! I am back with the new chapter. Please enjoy!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Prince of Tennis. Got it?**

* * *

**Chapter 38: The Missing Eye**

**Chapter Summary: Mysteries and secrets were slowly revealing themselves. What else was there to shock everyone with these revelations? Find out.**

* * *

"_I am going to look for my wife."_

The _newlywed_ couple looked at each other before looking back at the young man. Ahiru was the first one to react;

"Y-you finally remembered her?"

Teito shook his head and explained, "I only remembered that night and I vaguely remember my wife's name," he massaged his temple, "I believed you when you said that I have a son."

"When did you remember these things?" Fakir asked him.

"Exactly a week ago, when you guys first arrived here."

"A-and you didn't tell us?" Ahiru asked him with a hint of hurt in her voice.

Teito looked at her, "Gomen, I just want to make sure that these memories are true. Now am I certain that I have a wife and a son. I'll go look for her as soon as possible."

"Let me go with you." Ahiru told him.

"No," Teito rejected, "I want to do this alone. You should go back to the mansion. Tell them that you haven't seen me yet. That you failed doing your mission."

Fakir and Ahiru looked at each other wearing different reactions on their faces. As the week passed by, Teito remembered something with the help of Ahiru but he still couldn't remember the maid in his brain. Although she told him that she was a loyal friend of his wife.

Wahrheit Tiashe Raggs.

That was his real name. He was the son of Micheal Raggs, the Royal king of their own state, Raggs making him a Prince actually. Ahiru explained to him that royalty was not a big deal to his father whether they travelled to different countries like France and Germany. He also discovered that his wife's father and his father were best friends earning a good relationship between countries. Up until the very end where his family disappeared with not-so-clear misunderstanding. Ahiru witnessed everything, from the attempted kidnapping of the baby until the chase of the couple. She also told him that he gave her their son and resulting their own separation.

And now, he was there, with them remembering all the memories that he had lost. They settled in the living room first to talk about their next plan. Then he remembered something;

"Ahiru-san, how did I lose my memories?"

Ahiru looked down but answered, "Before your wife asked me to go with you and take of your child, we got cornered by the offender's soldier in an abandoned building. But you found an escape route, I think it's was a hawkzile… you put us there with your child but you didn't enter with us. You kissed your child and pushed the auto-pilot button of the ship. I-I watched you fight with them until you decided to jump of the large waterfall behind your back. I was shocked and hopelessly watched you fall there." She explained smoothly hoping that he understood her.

"H-how did I survive the fall?" Teito wondered to himself but Ahiru still answered;

"I actually didn't know. When I took your child to a safer place, I started looking for you. I found you and then realized that it was not that safe to appear in front of you, knowing that the danger was still there. So I kept your child with me and treated him like my own. He is safe living with me," she said and then looked at him, "but not for long."

"Why are they chasing us that night?"

Ahiru bit her lower lip. Was it the right time to tell him? She didn't know, "I think that your child is a threat for them."

"W-why?"

She looked down as she couldn't say the right words. Then a tap from her shoulder got her attention.

"It's alright, tell him."

"F-fakir-san."

Fakir looked at her eyes, "He has all the right to know… since he is the father."

Ahiru was a bit shocked but she changed her countenance as she looked back at Teito who was waiting for her answer.

"Barsburg and Seele have overwhelmed with supposed to be inheritance they got from their father but failed to receive though. The previous lord gave all of the inheritance to his adopted child named Reinja Kitazawa who had met all of his expectations."

"I don't get it, what does it have to do with me and with my family?"

"Rafael-sama who was supposed to get his part rebelled about the inheritance, was actually given a chance to receive any. R-reinja-dono didn't know about this but Rafael-sama is subjected to get at least 30 percent of the share."

"I still do not get it," Teito was starting to get pissed, "Please stop beating around the bush."

Ahiru inhaled inwardly before revealing everything to him, "You're wife, who happened to be my friend, Lady Ouka Barsburg, is the daughter of Rafael Barsburg."

Teito's eyes widened to the revelation. But Ahiru was not over yet.

"And…"

Ahiru looked at him straight in the eye and said the next revelation;

"Capella-kun is the missing heir."

The emerald young boy remained speechless. Everything was really shocking for him. He thought all about it and it was all impossible to believe but because of his repeated dreams every night, he was beginning to believe it, "S-so they are trying to kill my son because he's a threat."

Ahiru nodded.

"B-but why? Who could have doing this to my family?"

"We're not sure," Fakir butted in this time, "We had a hint that Verloren, Rafael's older brother was all behind this, although the Kitazawa household was still oblivious about this case."

"I think that Verloren's motive is to get all the inheritance to himself. He's so greedy." Ahiru thought.

"H-he's trying to get rid of my family just to get his stupid inheritance. I-I can't believe him." Teito gritted his teeth but later sighed as he discovered more than his identity. Then he yanked something from his pocket and showed it to them making them wide-eye this time, "I… had this when Ouka and I got separated five years ago."

Both of them looked at him, waiting for his next words.

"T-this is the family heirloom of the Barsburg clan," he couldn't believe what he was saying right now. Memories were starting to come to him as he stared at the green stone in front of them, "It's the eye of Rafael and…" he suddenly looked at them and with a revelation he blurted out, "I have a same stone like this. Its… its…"

"It's the eye of Michael." Ahiru interrupted him, making the two look at her, "Lord Michael and Rafael decided to create a bond between cities and requested a blacksmith to create stones for them. The green eye was for Rafael and the red one was for Michael."

"Where is this red stone now, Arima?" Fakir asked the maid.

Ahiru shook her head, "I believe lady Ouka has it but Capella-kun has the same replica of the stone," he looked at Fakir and continued, "It's the identity I asked you to take from him if necessary."

"These stones are pretty important for a family heirloom." Teito looked at the green stone that he was holding.

"That's true sire, it only proves that you are the belonged to the family of influence," Ahiru said, "and that improves that Ouka-sama and Capella, including you are the rightful owner of the inheritance."

"What is going to happen to the mistress?" Fakir asked.

"She is still capable of getting the inheritance because she is legally adopted," Ahiru looked at Teito, "T-teito-kun, once this is over you wouldn't mind sharing the inheritance to Sakuno-sama, right?"

His eyes widened, "S-sakuno, you mean the Ryuzaki girl?"

It was their turn to wide-eye. Fakir recovered first, "H-how did you know the mistress?"

"We met here several months ago. She was with this Echizen boy."

Both of them looked at each other. There was no such thing as coincidence but they were going to start doubting that from that day on.

"If she's going to be the heiress, I wouldn't mind."

Ahiru smiled at his answer and instinctively grabbed his hands to hers, "D-domo arigatou guzaimasu, Teito-kun."

Teito was a bit surprised with the sudden contact but smiled a bit afterwards. He was beginning to smile after on what happened to him these past months, at least after he met the not-so-young-couple. They were both at ease when Fakir feint a cough causing them to separate. Ahiru blushed when Teito smirked;

"I need to reflect things over," Teito said later and then looked at them, "I am going to find Ouka. I have this urge to find her more because of what I discovered today," he touched his temple, "and knowing who I am is slowly returning to my senses. It is easy to get my memories back without having a shock reaction." It's true because he couldn't feel any pain on his temple as memories were starting to flood back at him.

"Teito-kun, w-will you be alright?" Ahiru asked worried gently placing her hand to his arm.

Teito smiled at her for the first time, "Aa, don't worry. You helped me enough, Ahiru-san, Fakir-san thank you very much." With that he bowed and quickly left the area.

* * *

**Later on:**

The _married _couple started to set things as well. Teito bid goodbye to Asuna as well as the landlady before setting off for a journey. He promised them that as soon as he found Ouka they would be returning back and retrieved Capella in her care. It was their turn to leave the area soon.

Ahiru and Fakir bowed respectfully to the landlady and the girl.

"Thank you very much for everything ma'am," Ahiru said as she leaned up to look at her, "We owe you big for this."

The landlady smiled at them, "Don't worry about it. Just be sure to come back whenever you feel like it, okay."

"I hope that it will grow." Asuna butted in.

"G-grow? Grow what?" Ahiru asked innocently.

Asuna blushed as she pinpointed her stomach and simply said, "t-the baby inside you."

Ahiru blushed as she looked away. Fakir coughed a little as he also blushed at her words. Asuna was being hit by her grandmother.

"That's not the right word for a girl, young one."

"Mou! Baa-chan, I am not a girl anymore." Asuna pouted.

"Hai, hai," the old lady looked at them, "just be careful on your way home, okay."

"Hai." Both of them said in unison before leaving the place and went on their way back to Tokyo.

* * *

**Next day, in Tokyo, morning practice at Seigaku;**

"Eiji! Twenty laps around the court!" Tezuka yelled enough for the acrobatic player to hear. Eiji was currently talking with his mutual friend-slash-girlfriend-to-be for who knew when it would become who was outside the fence, forgetting to warm up in the process.

Eiji looked at their captain and raised a hand almost merrily;

"Hai, Tezuka, I will run laps now! / Hai, Tezuka-san, he will run laps now!"

Everyone looked at the two who started jumping in place and then, Eiji started to run afterwards. Milfie just watched him run, cheering him in the process.

"Mataku, senpai is inspired these days." Momo uttered as he looked at his senpai who was currently running laps.

Oishi approached the dunk smasher, "Well, he's getting energetic than before but I hope he will not forget his trainings when she's here."

Momo eyed his vice captain as if thinking something, a smirk formed on his lips as he tugged him to his side, "Oishi-senpai, don't tell me that you are jealous?"

Oishi became wide-eyed and faced his kouhai, with blush on his face, he simply retorted, "What are you saying, Momo 10 laps around the court."

"Oh woah, senpai," Momo started as he waved his hands in front of him, "Y-you cannot make me, you are not Tezuka-buchou."

Tezuka heard it and suddenly announced, "Momo ten laps around the court, now!"

Everyone snickered as well as Oishi. Momo gave them an irritate look before running with Eiji which Oishi gave way for him.

Sumire watched the regulars and the non-regulars practice while Inui was at her side updating with his notebook. She was busy eyeing Kaidoh and Kawamura's match who decided to visit at Seigaku today when her phone suddenly rang. She picked it up without checking the caller;

'Moshi, moshi.'

'Obaa-chan.'

Sumire's eyes widened when she recognized the caller, "S-Sakuno!"

Everyone looked at her, at least those who were near her when they heard her mention a name. Some of them approached her as she continued speaking;

'How are you, dear? It's been so long.'

'H-hai, how's everyone there?'

'Ryuzaki-chan! It's good to hear your voice, we're fine here.'

'M-momo-chan-senpai…'

'Ne, ne, how is Fuji and Echizen there? Are they okay? Are they eating well? Are they doing their job?'

They could hear the girl chuckled at the consecutive questions of their mother hen.

'Hai, Oishi-senpai, they are doing well, they are eating nicely and they are doing their job here?'

'I bet there is 95 percent that Echizen keeps bugging you and 80 percent having a staring competition towards the blonde boy and 100 percent that Fuji tries his best to interrupt them.'

'I-inui-senpai… I-I think Fuji-senpai is really helpful for the two of them. They are not getting along with each other.'

'Ne, I think Ochibi will never get along with him?'

'Kikumaru-senpai's right, Sakuno. They will get along alright.'

'Kikumaru-senpai, Tomo-chan… ummm…'

'Fssh, it's love rival.'

'K-kaidoh-senpai…'

They could imagine that Sakuno was blushing really hard. They smiled as they thought that. Kaidoh made a very unusual word, much to Momoshiro's chagrin.

'Eiji-kun, why are you saying that? You are talking to my brother that way again,' and then she talked over the phone, 'Ne, Sa-chan just give them a chance okay.'

'M-milfie-chan… I-I guess.'

'So are you doing okay there? How's America?'

'Un, everything is great here, Obaa-chan.'

They listened to her stories. Everyone noticed how cheerful she was when telling them her experiences in the states. There were happy that despite the trouble she was in, she could enjoy herself without problem, at least with precautions. Then, she noticed her voice lack energy and stopped telling stories to them. Sumire was the one who was worried the most and asked her;

'What's the matter, dear?'

'Obaa-chan, living here is amazing. I love this place.' She said but she was a bit upset as they could notice her.

'Then, what's wrong, Sakuno?'

'Tomo-chan, Obaa-chan… minna…'

'…'

'…'

'…'

'I miss you all.'

Everyone gasped as she heard her say her words. She was feeling homesick now.

'I miss all of you, I miss you terribly.'

'Sakuno, it'll be fine,' Sumire talked on the phone, 'We will see each other again in the future.'

'But I want to see you. I want to see Seigaku with everyone, with,' they heard her choke as she said her next words, 'with Ryoma-kun and Fuji-senpai.'

Both lines were silent for a while before Eiji said his words.

'Ryuzaki-chan, just think everyone of us whenever you miss us, okay.'

'K-kikumaru-senpai…'

'We will see each other of course, we cannot wait for you to cheer on us outside the fence when that happens so be sure to stay safe and come back to us, ne.'

'Eiji's right, Ryuzaki-chan, it's not like we will not see each other again. We're sure that we will meet again and that will be a grand reunion to every one of us.'

'Stay safe there. Do not let your guard down'

'Fsssh.'

'VICTORY! DO NOT LET THEM GET THEIR WAY. YOU ARE INVINCIBLE.'

'Just stay with Echizen and so young, so young… ahh and Fuji-senpai too.'

Everyone started to give her encouragement until they heard her sob and talk;

'Minna-san, arigatou. I'll stay safe for all of you. I promise I'll come back, I'll come to cheer for your games again.'

'YOU BETTER WILL!' Everyone said at the same time making her smile at the promise she made.

'I… I need to go. It's getting late here, I love you Obaa-chan, take care of yourself okay.'

'I should be saying the same thing to you,' Sumire said, 'We will see you soon.'

'Hai, good luck with the competition!'

'Tell our greetings to Ryoma and Fuji for us, okay.'

'Hai, ja ne.'

There were last words to catch by the regulars before the phone went up dead from the other line. They felt satisfied when they heard the girl's voice. Sumire clapped her hands twice catching their attention;

"Okay, break time is over, back to practice!"

"Hai!" With fire filled with their eyes they all said in unison.

* * *

**Later on, after afternoon practice;**

"Kikumaru-senpai, where are you going?" Momo asked his senior as he prepared his stuff as Milfie was waiting for him outside. The girl went home earlier when the class started but she came back after the practice in the afternoon and so she was waiting for him there.

"Ahhh… " Eiji started as he began to blush, "date."

Momo smirked at his sudden bluntness, "So young, so young."

Eiji pouted at him, "Momo, I am a year older than you, if you don't know."

"Ah, right," he said sticking his tongue out, "I forgot about that."

"Let them be, Momo, it's their date anyway," Oishi said as he approached them, "Enjoy your date, Eiji."

Eiji glomped at his doubles partner and smiled, "Thanks Oishi, I'll find you a girl in the future and you will know how I'm feeling right now."

Oishi blushed when Eiji said that to him. He pried his arm away from him and simply retorted, "No thanks, just enjoy your date and you will do me a big favor to that."

Eiji smiled as he allowed himself to get pried by him. He slowly walked away and waved goodbye to them, "I'll see you tomorrow then, ja matta!"

Oishi walked a step forward to wave back at him but as soon as he walked a step on the ground, his shoelace suddenly snapped. Oishi felt it and looked at the snapped shoelace. He felt a strange aura occurring inside him.

And it was not good.

The feeling was not good.

He looked at the retreating back of his doubles partner. Momo looked at the vice captain and noticed his worried expression;

"What's wrong?"

Oishi felt it. Something was not right. With his eyes narrowed he replied to his kouhai's words, "I am not feeling good about this."

"What do you mean?"

"I hope I am wrong about it but I felt something's bad is going to happen."

Momo frowned at his words, "You must be imagining things. Come on let's go home."

Oishi looked at the two lovebirds who were leaving ahead of them. He took one last glance at them before preparing for leaving as well not getting out his thoughts from it;

_I hope I was just imagining things._

* * *

**Meanwhile:**

Fakir and Ahiru were walking on their way back at the mansion. No one uttered a word all through the journey but since Ahiru wasn't the type to stay quiet without saying a single word, started to create a conversation to the knight.

"F-fakir-san, you seemed to be too quiet."

"…"

"A-ano… are you thinking of something?"

"…"

She cocked her head so that she could look at him.

"Fakir-san?"

"…"

*Sighed*

"I've been thinking."

Ahiru jerked up when Fakir started to talk.

"Capella does not know anything about this, right?"

Ahiru nodded, "He's too young to know everything. He was just an infant when the conflict happened and was oblivious about it."

"Does he have the stone that you said earlier?"

"It's only a replica. I asked him to keep it safe."

"Do you think that will put him also in danger? What if the culprit is really targeting the heir?"

Ahiru looked at him and said, "That's why I kept the secret all to myself. If someone knows about it aside from me, that person will also be in danger," she looked down, "M-my master seems to be interested of Capella's mother. He told me that he met milady years ago and discovered that I know her."

"Why would he become interested to her?"

"I really don't know but when he talks about her, I can sense his desire to his voice," Ahiru hugged herself, "I-I think him being a pervert is driving him crazy when he met her."

Fakir frowned and clenched his fists, "He never gets enough with one girl. Is that what you are trying to say?"

She bit her lower lip, "I never knew when they first met… but I am already in his hands when I discovered it. Keeping Capella-kun in my care, I had the chance to escape from him before but not for long until he found my location," hugging herself tightly, she continued, "if I dare try to run away from him again, he'll make sure that he will kill Capella-kun without second thoughts when he catch up to us."

"…"

"I don't care what will happen to me, as long as I can protect my best friend's child. Ouka-sama took care of me when I was homeless and treated me like her own sister. I was in a pinch of losing my life when she saved me that cold night and became her personal maid for ten years."

"Wait, Arima, I thought that your late master saved you from despair? What is going on here?"

Her eyes softened, "It's true, my late master adopted me and took care of me until I turned ten during the care of lady Ouka of course, I was already five when she found me in that cold night. My late master gave me a permission to become her personal maid and served her until I reached fifteen."

"You mean…"

"I was saved by two kind people and I was very thankful for them. I wouldn't mind risking my own life for them."

He stopped walking and dragged to a secluded area. Ahiru looked at him for a while as he cornered her on the wall at a tall building.

"F-fakir-san… w-what are you doing?" she blushed as she looked away. The knight was pretty close to her.

"Don't you dare think of dying anymore, okay?"

"Eh?"

"We're all in this together now. Live, live for the both of us."

Her eyes widened when he said that. She wanted to cry but she held it. There was a little secret that he hadn't told him about and she thought that she could tell him now, "A-anou… Fakir-san there's something… there's something else that you need to know."

He raised an eyebrow and asked, "What is it?"

"W-well, it's about Capella-kun being an unwanted child."

"What about it?"

Ahiru looked around her. The area was somewhat dark and isolated so she wouldn't mind telling all of the secrets that she knew. She breathed a deep air before starting to tell him the whole story;

"Remember when I told you that it was his grandparents who wanted him dead?" When Fakir nodded, she continued, "w-well they were not actually the one wanted him dead."

"What? Then who?"

She looked down and then bit her lower lip. It was now or never. Once Fakir discovered this secret of her, Fakir would know who might be the real culprit. But she knew that the _dead_ couldn't be brought back to life so she thought that it was still impossible. She continued, "The person who wanted to kill him was…"

* * *

**Meanwhile, somewhere else:**

"Dad, it was a failure again. I think that girl has nine lives." Someone talked at an isolated and dark area.

"I know, we need to think of another plan," Said the other who walked back and forth to that place, "something that is not risky to do."

"What do you have in mind?"

The one being asked stopped in the middle of walking and bit his finger to his teeth, "We have to target someone else."

"W-what why? Don't you want to kill her already? Why are we targeting someone else?"

"Look, she has lots of bodyguards and every time we do something to end her life, they are always there to save her. We need to clear her minions before getting to her."

"It was difficult to target her that easily," the other one said and then approached the other person, "so who's our target this time?"

The person pulled his finger out from his teeth and thought hard, "We should teach a lesson to someone who always supporting her."

The other listened at what the other said and continued;

"The person who has the knowledge to discover everything," the person wore a smirk that the only the two of them could see;

"The person who is a tensai."

* * *

**Done! How was it? Was it confusing? Wait for a little longer and I will explain to you. From Capella's past until the killing scheme. Wait for it okay, I'll give you a brief explanation about that. Also their age too.**

**Ryoma is absent here, sorry about that but he and Fuji will appear on the next chapter. And another surprise will turn out of event. Just find out in the next chapter.**

**Reviews please… motivate me more… thank you very much…**

**Next Chapter: Last Piece of the Puzzle **


	39. Last Piece of the Puzzle

**Hi there! I am so thrilled with the latest anime this year called Hakkenden: Touhou Hakken Ibun and I just finished the first season. I am waiting for the second season which will be airing this summer 2013. Ohh can't wait. I remembered Shin Hakkenden because of this… Anyway, I am here with the new chapter… Just few more secrets and everything will be revealed. I hope you like this one. ^_^**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Prince of Tennis.**

* * *

**Anon – thank you the motivation… you really got me speechless there. Well… so far I keep updating my fic and I hope you find this as a distraction to your boredom… anyway; new chapter is here now… I hope you like this… ^_^**

**Yumi014 – it's okay… just take your time… I know that you are there and that is enough for me… ^_^**

**Chapter 37 – yeah… I understand you there. So be careful with the people who are quiet… so we don't know that they the ones who we don't want to get mess up with… tee hee hee… Yap, they are indeed have the looks and their girls are really lucky to have them and vice versa.**

**Chapter 38 – tee hee hee… yeah they are indeed… Well, I guess in some way he is jealous but not people think the way he is… Well… I think you will know the answer to your question right about… now.**

**By the way I read the Naruto fic, 'It's for a good cause, I swear' that you recommended me… and you are right… I just couldn't stop myself from laughing that my co-workers thought I was crazy… waah… it happened. It was a great fic alright and Minato was alive there and Sakuno never done a thing tee hee hee that was hilarious. I couldn't imagine that the exam was like that… it felt so… easy and my favorite line there is/are…Naruto's "Let's blame it all in Orochimaru" and Sasuke's "My Name is Uchiha Sasuke. You killed my family. Prepare to die." Tee hee hee… Thank you for telling me wonderful fic… I really love this… ^_^**

**johanna – well, I am really glad to hear that you read all of my stories and that made me so happy. I can't blame you with this one because this fic is filled with secrets and mysteries and all of them are currently left open… kaya nabibitin ka… actually di ko binalak na gawin Sakuno-centric ang storya na to… I still believe with the title itself that Ryoma will do anything as the story progresses. May dahilan kung bakit tinawag ni Sakuno si Ryoma sa kanyang surname and I thought that you missed that part. Well, there is a reason why I did that and in the future you will know why… thank you for reading this… and I hope you understand everything once the mysteries are all revealed. Ja ne… ^_^**

**Zuly – Wow! Thank you very much for reading this until the latest and very pleased to receive such wonderful words from you. Don't worry no matter what happens between them, there is one thing that I can assure you… This fic is absolutely RyoSaku… ^_^ Thank you for supporting this story of mine and yeah… this is the new chapter… I hope you enjoy this… ^_^ **

* * *

**Chapter 39: Last Piece of the Puzzle**

**Chapter Summary: They put the pieces together and they were slowly getting to the real point. And now, with the last missing piece of the puzzle, would they be able to solve it?**

* * *

**Japan, Atobe Mansion:**

Seigaku regulars were visiting the mansion together with the other Hyotei regulars at such an unusual time… at night. Both doubles pairs just returned safely bringing enough evidences from Greece and Azerbaijan. Everyone was there except for Eiji who had a date with Milfie and Kawamura who needed to leave Seigaku at such an early time. Atobe leaded them to his lounging room and asked them to feel comfortable. When everyone was settled, they started the meeting.

"So, what did you discover?" Sumire looked at the Hyotei captain. Atobe nodded at her as he began talking.

"Shishido and Chotaro confirmed that Rafael's immediate family used to live in Greece."

"Used to… you mean…" Oishi cut his words.

Atobe nodded once again, "yeah, so we don't know their whereabouts."

Seigaku regulars became silent.

"But…"

Atobe got their attention as he continued, "we got another lead but it was not certain."

"What do you mean by that?" Tezuka asked him this time.

The Hyotei captain looked behind him, "Kabaji."

"Ussu." He replied as he went closer to his captain and gave something to him.

Atobe showed what Kabaji gave to him. It was a set of pictures that was taken from both countries. First was an ancestral house that Shishido and Chotaro visited. The pair explained what they saw there. And the other set was from a museum but it was a picture of a painting that was taken repeatedly. What surprised them were random pictures of messages from a wall. The letters were painted red and it was all in capital letters. Atobe picked one and showed it to them.

"This was what Shishido saw on the wall at the abandoned house."

Sumire grabbed the picture and stared at the message. It was like a riddle to solve but the first line was incomplete. She read the message making them wonder;

'__took an axe._

_And gave her mother forty whacks._

_When she saw what she had done,_

_She gave her father forty-one.'_

Everyone became silent when she read the message. It was creepy, let alone that it was written in red ink… more like in blood. They seemed to be examining the message as they thought silently.

"In my opinion… I think it's a murder." Inui suddenly blurted his thoughts making everyone look at him.

"You're probably right," Oshitari replied, "It's a story of murdering her own family."

Sumire said her words this time, "You mean to say that the culprit probably killed his own family? Are you talking about that Rafael or Verloren might have been killed by their own child?"

"That's not possible though. But I don't think that Rafael's child could do it to him. So I've doubted that and it was Verloren's family that might do it."

"Why would they kill each other?" Gakuto asked while eating his chiffon cake.

"We're not sure yet?" Atobe said, "It might have to do something with the inheritance."

"But they're family!" Gakuto retorted again.

"That's why they are fighting for themselves just to get hold of it," Inui butted in, "there is possibility that the child of the other was trying to kill the other's parents. The message was not pertaining to the exact meaning of it."

"Wait! The message was pertaining to a she," Momo cut, "Did it mean that the culprit was a girl?"

"That's not sure too," Oshitari said this time, "As you can see, the first line was missing a word, it was probably a name of someone we didn't know."

"I already sent the same message to Fuji and Echizen. They will be calling us in a minute." Atobe reminded them.

Tezuka nodded as he grabbed another picture. It was another message with the same red markings. It said;

'_Ice cream, soda pop, cherry on top_

_Who's your best friend, I forgot;_

_Is it an A! B! C! CRASH!' _

"This message is not just a riddle." Tezuka noticed as he read it.

"It is actually a game." The Hyotei genius continued making everyone look at him.

"A game?" Oishi repeated.

"There's an 85% that this riddle is somewhat used for games," Inui inserted, "It is often used in western countries as my data collected."

"What game?"

"Jump rope."

"Jump rope?"

Inui fixed his glasses and said, "As I wrote the message on the net, I discovered that these lines are used for jump rope rhymes, meaning kids often use these lines when they play."

"So… this is all a game?" Momo commented waking everyone from reality.

Atobe cursed as he gritted his teeth. Sumire noticed his action;

"What is in your mind, young man?"

"The culprit prefers this way," he started with seriousness in his eyes, "doing it the game way."

Everyone remained silent as they realized what he had said. Different reactions were visible to their faces. They found evidences but the real culprit was not. The riddle must be the key but they need to figure out what would be the meaning of the message. Everyone knew that it was going to be a long night for them.

* * *

**Kitazawa Mansion:**

"Make it fast; you have to sweep the grand staircase." Kraehe shouted at the youngest manservant in the mansion.

"H-hai!" he responded as he mopped the floor below. Capella did his best to be a good boy as he promised to his sister and to his 'mom'. There were times that he made mistakes that the maid ended up punishing him. Hayate came to the rescue as he promised Fakir that he would protect him while they were not there.

Kraehe watched him for a while before leaving him there. The maid was a bit kind to him prior from before, before they met the mistress. She knew that she couldn't hit the boy like she did before. Hayate was always there to keep an eye on him, while Capella did his best to remain strong.

He missed them.

…His secret guardian and his sister in the mansion.

He wondered when they be returning back from their mission. He missed them terribly. Another thought from them, tears would be warning to fall down on his face. At his young age, he had been thinking a lot.

And it was not suitable for him to become thoughtful… at least for his age.

He was about to climb the stairs to sweep from above when the main door of the mansion opened behind him. He looked to his shoulder to see who the new comer was.

…Only to be delighted.

He ran to the 'new comers' as tears finally fell on his face, "Ahiru-nee-chan, Fakir-nii-san!"

"Capella-kun!" Ahiru said sweetly as she bent down and spread her arms to hug the boy. Fakir just looked at their little reunion. Ahiru cried a little as she hugged the young one really tight, "Did you become a good boy?"

"I did, I missed you!" Capella said as he hugged her really tight.

The maid smiled, "Un, me too."

They became silent as they respect the little reunion… until someone broke it.

"What a wonderful reunion you got there?"

Ahiru's eyes snapped opened as she heard someone's voice, a voice that she knew very well. All three of them looked at the person who talked. And Ahiru didn't fail her eyes. It was _him._

Fakir looked at the person who was standing in front of them. A guy who was wearing a tourniquet was looking straight at him and then to the maid. He looked decent but something was odd from him. The knight was about to stare at the maid but was interrupted by her own voice.

"M-master Meyers."

Bringing the knight's eyes to become wide, something inside him became furious. He knew who the guy was in front of them, the guy who made the maid's life miserable. He stoically looked at him who was looking at the maid who was still shocked from seeing her master. They stayed still and remained silent as Capella looked at them obliviously.

"Ah, you returned." Reinja walked from the grand staircase, "I am glad that you are all here."

Fakir looked at him and bowed with respect, "We have returned, sire."

Reinja nodded as he approached them, "I just returned here to escort my future son-in-law's best friend and Sakuno's personal bodyguard from now on," he started, "As you can see, he was wounded. He protected my daughter from danger and we returned here for his fast recovery."

"I-is the mistress, alright?" Ahiru couldn't help but asked.

Reinja looked at her, "Don't worry, she is in good hands. The three of you we need to talk. I need to hear news from you."

"Hai." They said in unison.

"We need to work this fast, I need to return to Tennessee with Chris at midnight, so tell me everything that you discovered." Reinja added earning another nod from them.

They followed the lord to the lounging room as they started to discuss the meeting. Capella was left to Hayate once again who was watching from afar.

* * *

**At the same time in Pennsylvania:**

The tennis tensai and the youngest tennis prodigy were walking their steps around the liberty bell, still looking for evidences that might help them with the case. Fuji gathered enough information from the place. It was revealed that the Barsburg family used to visit this large bell of Pennsylvania.

But the information was not helping them. The person that they were looking for was not actually there much to their dismay.

"Seeing this place is useless, senpai." Ryoma leisurely uttered as he looked around, "Let's go to New York already."

"Wait a moment, Echizen," Fuji said looking at the tall building in front of them. The tensai felt that the building was telling him something, "There's something that I need to confirm first. Let's go inside."

With that, they entered the new location of the landmark and search the area. They asked some information about the family and it was not a shock from them that they knew about the family of Barsburg and Seele.

'_They were an influence family in this state, they were kind to the citizens here but someone took advantage of their kindness and attacked them for an unknown reason.'_

He remembered what the old man said to them when they asked about the family. Fuji thought hard about that. _They were kind to the people. That only means, they could be in our side. But where are they right now? Why are they hiding despite that they have the power to fight the opposing side?_

"Senpai." Ryoma cut his reverie, "this is the top and look at the bell." He pointed the large bell in front of them.

Fuji looked at it like his kouhai told him. So the bell was really unique as they discovered it through searching, it was like the La Fidele from Notre Dame although there were no jewels beneath it. He studied the bell from the outside while Ryoma went further to have a clear view.

Ryoma on the other hand examined the bell up close. When he touched it, it moved slightly but noticed something.

It didn't create a small sound.

Wondering, he looked at his feet and bent a little lower. Since it was easy to get inside he did, only to be shocked. There was no clapper inside but that wasn't the reason why he was shocked. He stared at it before deciding to call his senpai.

"Fuji-senpai, I want you to see something."

Hearing from the outside, Fuji walked closer and went inside the large bell. Like Ryoma, he was shocked that there was no clapper that was supposed to be attached at the center but what he had seen around him was a shock for the both of them.

From the small space of the bell, it was written in red ink and was all in capitalized;

'_BIG BEN STRIKE ONE,_

_BIG BEN STRIKE TWO,_

_BIG BEN STRIKES THREE,_

_BIG BEN WILL STRIKE FOUR.'_

"This is a riddle." Fuji said as he stared at the letters around them before deciding to take pictures.

"Seems like it." Ryoma nodded thinking what would the message be, "Big ben is in London but what does it mean by striking four times."

"Let's figure that out," Fuji said as he yanked his phone. Atobe had sent them a message which was quite similar to what they were seeing that time. At their side, he kind of figured out what the message Atobe sent them a while ago. And now it was their time to report to the other genius of Hyotei.

"Ore-sama here."

"Atobe, I got you another message." Fuji said.

"What is it?"

"I'll send it to you," he replied, "I sort of figured out what the message meant."

"That's good. Ore-sama would like to inform you that all Seigaku regulars and your coach are here." Atobe said.

Fuji and Ryoma listened to them as the captain of Hyotei gave the phone to them.

"Echizen, Fuji-senpai, how's America?" Momo started, "and Atobe-san, not all of us are here. Kikumaru-senpai is having a date right now and Kawamura senpai is back to his own business."

"Sou ka… well, let's save the story for later," Fuji said, "We need to solve this riddle as possible."

"So what have you got?" Sumire asked.

Fuji looked at Ryoma who nodded, "the message Atobe sent us is confirmed. It was a story of a murder, a girl who murdered her parents years ago. At first, she made it like it was an accident that someone killed her parents but later on, suspicion came down upon her."

"What is it got to do with the case?" Momo asked innocently.

"As we all see, someone is trying to kill Ryuzaki-chan. The culprit was just trying to give us a message that if we do not take extra careful of guarding her, her fate would be like the same as the message."

"I think there is more to it." Ryoma talked this time, "Maybe one of the families had experienced the same thing."

"Echizen might be right," Oshitari commented, "since Shishido found this message at the ancestral house, it had the possibility that someone murdered a family."

"Perhaps… the culprit's parents," Atobe said, "there is a possibility that the culprit killed his own parents and for the reason… that we do not know."

"Who could it be? Wait, If I remember it correctly, Verloren was long dead by now right? Does that mean that the murder was pertaining to his family?" Gakuto said making them to look at him.

"Do you think that Verloren's child would be killer?" Chotaro asked them.

"Impossible, we all know that he didn't have a family of his own." Oishi said.

"That could be possible," Fuji talked on the other line catching their attention, "Mr. Kitazawa once said that he had flings before. Maybe that one of his flings had borne a child and took a revenge for the mother."

They remained silent after that.

"That is only my hint though, it's not proven yet." Fuji continued.

"That maybe right." Atobe said, "The culprit is really secretive. Whoever this person is, really doing a good job."

"There is a painting of Aurora borealis that was hinted to be painted by Rafael too." Shishido said this time.

"It is clearly written that it wasn't THE Rafael that we are searching for," Oishi said, "the painting was made seventy-five years ago."

"You are right," Fuji said, we need to ask Mr. Kitazawa about the painting. I think he is the only one who could answer that."

Once again they nodded as if they could see the person from the other line.

"We also discovered another riddle here," Fuji continued making everyone gasp as they could hear them, "it's on the one that I sent you."

"I have received it," Atobe announced, "This is indeed a message from the culprit."

"Why would they leave messages like these?" Ryoma asked not taking to remain silent anymore.

Fuji faced him and answered his own question, "The person who is responsible for this wants us to know his next move."

"Fuji-san is right," Oshitari butted in, "all messages are connected to the person's next move."

"It seems that they know what to do next and for some reason, they know where we search these kinds of messages." Ohtori said this time.

"The message that we discovered here, it is pertaining to a bell." Fuji said.

"Big ben," Gakuto read the first two words, "isn't that in London? Why is it written in Pennsylvania?"

"It's not a place, it's a person." Inui said solving the puzzle.

"What do you mean by that?" Atobe asked the Seigaku data analysis.

Inui started writing something in his notebook as he began talking, "The Words 'Big Ben' is a name here. This is probably the alias of the culprit or probably the culprit was just pertaining to a name."

"So that means it was the culprit?" Sumire said as she looked at Tezuka who nodded.

"I presumed that the first two strikes were 'big ben's' actions." Tezuka said this time.

"There are other twos. What do you mean by that?" Gakuto said reading the next two lines, "

The third strike is currently in present tense. Does that mean the culprit's next action will be about right… now?"

Everyone remained silent as Gakuto said his next words. Fuji and Ryoma looked at each other. They were both thinking the same thing. And the first two strikes happened before.

…First; on Sakuno's birthday.

…Second; the latest event in Mud Island.

Ryoma thought hard. Sakuno was kept locked in her room so it was impossible for her to approach at that time. He just called the girl a while ago and she was with her mother and was planning to stay with her overnight together with Drosselmeye who was just outside the girl's door.

Was it really at this specific day? Did the culprit do that on purpose? He mentally shook his head. This message was something that they should not ignore. Time was really important and it was ticking quickly fast. Something might happen any minute now.

So there might be a possibility that they wouldn't attack the girl that night.

…But who? Were they targeting another person? …The other heir perhaps? They didn't know as if they were not sure the other heir's whereabouts. Who else could it be? Who else that the culprit might be targeting at? Amber eyes slowly widened as he realized something. Startled at what he had just thought, he quickly looked at his senpai and asked warningly;

"Senpai, where is Kikumaru-senpai right now?"

Fuji looked at him with such bewilderment. The tensai became alert as his cerulean eyes appeared from his eyelids. He understood the messages from the riddle… all of it. Shock registered to his face and quickly called Oishi on the other line;

"Oishi, where is Eiji heading to right now?"

"H-he's with Sakuraba-san, on a date why?" Oishi was beginning to get nervous too. He suddenly remembered what he felt a while ago.

Fuji mentally cursed, making Ryoma hear it, "Find him!"

Before the others could ask, Oishi's phone rang. Startled, the moon volley specialist picked up his phone without looking at the screen.

'Hello.'

'O-oishi-kun… w-what should I do?' a voice of a sobbing girl trembled Oishi.

"S-sakuraba-san, what happened?" Oishi panicked this time. Everyone was looking at him now, even Fuji and Ryoma was listening at the sudden outburst of the Vice Captain.

'E-eiji-kun is… Eiji-kun is…' Milfie started but she couldn't continue. She was close to burst her fear.

'What! Please speak up!' Oishi was getting tenser and more nervous than everyone else.

Both Seigaku and Hyotei were looking at the worried reaction of Seigaku's Vice Captain. From frowning until to shocking reaction of Oishi, he unconsciously dropped his cell phone on the carpeted floor. Staring in wonder, his eyes were shot opened while his mouth was left agape. They knew that something bad happened to Eiji.

"Oishi what happened to Eiji?" Tezuka asked him calmly but he was also tensed that time.

It took some time before Momo grabbed his shoulder and said, "O-oishi senpai, where's Eiji-senpai!"

"Eiji is…" he started. He didn't know how to say it to everyone, "he got hit by falling debris from under construction building near Tokyo tower."

"!"

"She also said… that a large bell suddenly collapsed from 14th floor of the building and hit Eiji's head."

Both sides of the team were shocked at the news. Ryoma was shocked as well, for an acrobatic player who was flexible to move got hit by a large bell on the head… along with debris. There must be a foul play, there must be. He gritted his teeth. He was starting to think that the culprit was targeting his team now. He then remembered what Sakuno said to him.

She wanted everyone to be safe, that was why she was away for the meantime.

But the culprit could find them and hiding was useless. They never intended to hide anyway. His thoughts were suddenly cut when he noticed Fuji's movement to his side. He looked at him and was shocked a little.

Fuji was serious. His cerulean eyes were fierce at that moment. He was gripping his hand really tight as close to make them tremble. Something happened to his best friend and he was trembling with the new feeling at that moment.

Ryoma thought of keeping himself quiet for a while. The tensai was trying to compose his feelings. But seemed to fail to do so when Oishi was to say another thing;

"He's… probably facing a coma state at this moment."

The land and the sky collided for a terrible shock.

* * *

**Done! How was this chapter? Terrible… Hey… I didn't mean it this way. It has a reason why Eiji met an accident. Umm… maybe…do not jump into conclusions? ? ? **

**Eiji is my third favorite POT character so he has too a role on this mission. He simply cannot leave my story not that he has Milfie to protect. Right? Right? The story of Eiji's accident will be revealed next week. So stay tuned… Ja ne…**

**For my grammar… once again I am sorry… I know I have lots of mistakes and I am aware of that. If I try to review them once again, I don't think I will be able to update in time… well… time is really short for me… look it's already time to sleep and I haven't slept yet. Sigh… gomen… **

**Fact File: The riddles are true. They are used to play in Jump rope as rhymes. The first rhyme is a true story based from a true murder story, the missing words there is actually a name called 'Lizzy Borden' who killed her parents using an axe. I didn't use her name there for it served another purpose and I never own those rhymes, oh, and I kind of change some lines as well...for more sources just visit Wikipedia... I don't own them. I just love sharing them.**

**La Fidele is a bell from the Disney animated movie called The Hunchback of Notre Dame II. It was all fictional meaning that the bell didn't exist in real life at all. I do not own the movie or anything. I just love sharing it.**

**Reviews please… thank you very much…**

**Next Chapter: My Source of life**


	40. My Source of Life

**Hi! I am here again. Well, no need for further explanations. I am so in love with Junko Minagawa's voice even more, been listening to her Naked, Heart and Daybreak... tee hee hee...**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own TeniPuri and never will.**

* * *

**johanna - hahaha... ganun ba? me dahilan un kaya ganun ang tawag nya ke Ryoma sa ngaun. Wag kang mag-alala 'temporary' lan un... salamt naman at nagustuhan mu ung storya na to kahit na medyo magulo... eheheheh...**

**zuly - thank you very much to see your message here... well... it is bad for now... but not for long... I think you will know the reason once you read this... tee hee hee... calm down, I don't want you to get a heart attack or something... ;p but really... I am really glad to hear such reaction from you... thank you once again... ^_^**

* * *

**Chapter 40: My Source of Life**

**Chapter Summary: Everything was dull without his energetic movements. Everything seemed to be different without him and a certain tensai would not allow it continue any longer.**

* * *

"_Milfie-chan, did you enjoy the date today?" Eiji asked her that day. They discovered to themselves that they had lots of common making their date more enjoyable than ever. The night was getting colder but they decided to stay at such wonderful place where the sun used to lay. Milfie was leaning back on the steel bar and was facing the opposite view of the place while Eiji was the one to view the night scene for them._

"_Hai, arigatou, Eiji-kun," she said playing with her hot chocolate drink in her hands._

_Eiji looked at her and smiled, "Really?"_

_Milfie smiled back at him and replied, "Hn," she stared at her drink before continuing, "Y-you know, I haven't done this with Chris-kun. I mean going on a date or something."_

_Eiji just looked at her urging her to continue._

"_I felt pathetic, falling in love with my half-brother," she blushed really hard, "but I guess being me the pathetic one is absolutely ridiculous."_

_Silence erupted between them._

"_Do you…"_

_Milfie turned her head to him as she blinked her eyes twice._

"_Do you still love him?"_

_She turned bright red when he asked that and flailed her hand in front of him, "I-ie, I-I already gave up on him. I-I know that he will never love me back no matter what I do."_

"_But you still love him." Eiji looked straight at her eyes facing her completely. Geez, it was so not like him to act that way. But he felt of being a little serious for once._

_Milfie stared back at him and blushed really hard. She bit her lower lip and replied to his words, "No, I've fallen in love with someone else." She accidentally dropped the cup when Eiji hovered and cornered her between him and the steel bar behind her. His eyes were so calm like she had never seen before._

"_Who?"_

_She held her breath as he stared at his eyes. Their bodies were pretty closed to each other. Milfie wanted to look away but the acrobatic player wouldn't let her. Not saying a single word, she just stared at him not missing the oh-so-red-color on her face. The next thing she knew, his lips were covering hers. Shock was registered to her but recovered soon. She instinctively wrapped her arms to his neck as he wrapped his one arm to her waist while the other stayed on the steel bar._

_Really, words were not needed that time, for their actions told them already._

* * *

It was definitely late that night but the two teams went directly to the hospital where the acrobatic player was confined in. They couldn't reach him for it was beyond visiting time. Instead, they met with the pink-haired girl who was sitting on a bench next to the emergency room. She was crying to no end. Oishi was the first one to approach her;

"Sakuraba-san, what happened? Where's Eiji?"

Milfie looked at him and continued crying, "O-oishi-kun," she buried her face with her hands, "This is all my fault. I-If I should have paid more attention…"

Sumire went closer to the sobbing girl, "Please tell us what happened."

They waited for her to say her words. Milfie was covered with bruises and blood, probably of Eiji's. They could sense that the girl had been crying a lot and seemed to be blaming herself for the incident. No one said a word until Milfie finally decided to open her mouth;

"I-it was really late then but I told him to spend more time with me and he did. Then that was when it all started…"

* * *

_Milfie was definitely happy after what happened between them a while ago. Eiji had been holding her hand since then, both of them were blushing. They walked to the outskirts of Tokyo, near the Tokyo Tower._

"_Aren't you tired yet?"_

_She then heard him ask the question. Looking at him, she nodded, "I-I want to spend more time with you."_

_Eiji smiled at her, "I am glad because I feel the same thing."_

_She blushed really hard but she looked down. The emotions that filled inside her were overwhelming then, she noticed the tower ahead of them and pointed it out to him, "E-eiji-kun, I want to go to the tower."_

_Eiji frowned a little, "The Tokyo Tower? It's closed now Milfie-chan, maybe we can see it some other time."_

_She pouted, "But I just want to see it from the outside."_

_Eiji laughed at her childish act, "Alright nya, let's go."_

_Milfie was overwhelmed when Eiji said that. She ran to his side and held his hand once again. They walked on their way to the tower when she noticed the Eiji became silent. Curious, she asked him;_

"_Doushita no, Eiji-kun."_

"_Don't you think it's quiet out here?" he said looking around them. He became alert to her vision._

_Milfie stared at him before saying her words merrily, "Come on, Eiji-kun. Of course it's quiet because it's beyond working time and people are in their own bed ready to sleep," she said and then running ahead a few feet away from him, turned around and spread her arms and continued, "Let's make noise here then, shall we?"_

_She looked at his odd countenance, then his shocked reaction after he looked above, then feared was shown to his face and quickly ran to her;_

"_Milfie-chan, look out!"_

_Stunned from her location she didn't know why Eiji became scared all of the sudden until she heard some rumbling sound above her. She looked above her only to see some falling debris and something that she couldn't recognize. Shock was registered to her face that she didn't know what to do; she closed her eyes for the impact. She felt a hard push and fell on the ground. The next thing she knew, she heard the sound crashed on the ground and was shocked to see a bloody Eiji beneath them. Next to him was an average bell that collapsed into pieces._

_She couldn't find her voice that time when she saw Eiji lying there unconscious. When she noticed the blood around his head, her voice came back from the top of her lungs;_

"_EIJI-KUN! ! ! !"_

* * *

The sob of the girl brought everything back to reality. She couldn't continue her story after that as she buried her hands to her face once again.

"I-it was all my fault," she said between sobs, "if—if I hadn't asked him to take me to the Tokyo Tower, h-he wouldn't have meet the accident."

Everyone stared at the crying girl. Both teams remained silent until Sumire rubbed the girl's back.

"Milfie, I think you should go home for now. I think that your brother will be worried about you."

Milfie looked at him, "N-no, please. I-I don't want to leave Eiji-kun. C-chris-kun doesn't bother about my disappearance. L-let me stay please," she looked at everyone, "I will not leave until he wakes up."

"Well," Atobe interrupted getting everyone's attention, "I'll get everyone's place to sleep near this hospital since we are not allowed here," the Hyotei Captain looked at the two ladies, "and that includes you two… if you like to stay for a couple of days."

Sumire sighed as she looked at Tezuka, "this is going to be a long night," when Tezuka nodded she looked at everyone, "if any of you wants to go home then do so. I don't want to worry your parents. And as for Eiji's parents, I'll take care of it."

"I'll call home that I'll stay," Momo said without second thoughts.

"I feel the same way as Sakuraba-san." Oishi replied with countenance.

"If Seigaku team will stay, I won't mind supporting them." Gakuto said looking at his doubles partner who nodded.

Everyone followed by nodding their heads.

"Very well then, we are all in this together." Atobe said facing everyone.

The night was gloomy and dark. No one seemed to be sleeping at that moment as they worried for one fellow tennis player. They knew that the battle had just begun and were more threats to come. One thing that ran to their minds…

They would never back out.

* * *

**Kitazawa Mansion:**

He had been holding the pendant that the maid gave him as he looked at the window of his room. The meeting was not that long as they told the lord what they originally planned.

That they failed about looking at the possible heir.

It didn't last until the lord dismissed them and returned to states as soon as possible. Before Fakir could reach to Ahiru, Meyers grabbed her arm and gestured her to come to him. Fakir was about to follow them but Ahiru told him that she would be alright. Even though the girl said that, he couldn't take the worry away inside him. He needed to find her, but he didn't know where the soldier took her. He mentally cursed as he stood up. Come what may, he would look for her, no matter how big the mansion was.

Just as he opened the door of his room, a crying Capella welcomed him.

"F-fakir-nii-san." The boy muttered between sobs. Fakir crouched so that he could level the little boy;

"What's wrong, Capella?"

He sniffed first before answering him, "A-ahiru-nee-san… she's… she's…"

"What happened?" he held the boy's shoulder this time but that only led to boy cry more. He panicked, "shhh, stop making a sound. Where is she? Do you know?"

Capella nodded.

"Tell me…" he said. Capella whispered Ahiru's whereabouts and then looked at him, "Don't worry, stay here Capella and no matter what, do not leave this room, got it."

When he received confirmation from the boy, he went outside and ran to the location where Ahiru might be resided.

**xxx**

She was locked up in a prison-like cell, where no one could enter except soldiers and sinners. Tied up in a chain at both sides of the cellar, Ahiru was enduring the small 'punishment' her master was giving her. Her body couldn't take it anymore as she was already at her knees. She bit her lower lip as another hit was being given to her, trying not to create a sound.

"How many times do I have to tell you? Why are you being so stubborn?"

Ahiru coughed a blood as she couldn't say her words.

"I saved your life from being useless after my step father died. You owe me your life."

"I—I only owe my life…to master… Master Mikage, n-not you sire."

Meyers gritted his teeth as he gave her another hit, "You imbecile! After all of what I've done to you, this is all I get!" And then another harsh whip from her body was given.

Ahiru closed her eyes as she couldn't fight back. She felt numb as the pain was awfully stinging her. He hip her continuously.

"Now, where is Ouka? Tell me!"

"I-I don't know-igh!"

"You are a failure of everything; you couldn't even complete a mission." The A-rank soldier said.

After several hits, he stopped as he breathed really hard. He dropped the whip and walked in front of her. He tipped her chin with his forefinger so that she could face him;

"Are you sure you don't know? Its months since you've been looking for them."

She breathed really shallow as she replied, "N-no… I—I haven't found her… I—I swear—AH!" she was cut when Meyers' hand shifted to her cheek to give her a hard slap.

Meyers cupped her chin firmly and rudely, "I don't how long you can get tough with all this, but you are pretty interesting yourself," with that he brusquely ripped her shirt with his free hand exposing her front in the process. Ahiru gasped at the sudden action of her master, "you will be her replacement temporarily as long as you haven't found her yet and you are lucky enough that I am partially wounded." He smirked as he harshly grabbed her front.

She closed her eyes for the pain that he was causing her. Trying to hold the tears back, she bit her lower lip. The worst, she kept refraining herself from moaning to his harsh touch. His cruel ministrations were stopped when a loud bang was suddenly heard from the door of the cell. Both of their eyes were shocked to see who he intruder was.

Standing from the door, Fakir was catching his breath. His eyes were shocked to see the scenery before him. Ahiru, kneeling on the floor, chained, with her master, with the exact picture he told her before.

"How did you find this place?" Meyers asked him accusingly standing from his location.

"I can't find Arima everywhere sire," he said trying to control his temper, "I came looking for her."

"Why are you looking for her? Do you have business with _my_ Ahiru?" he said emphasizing the possessive word/pronoun that he used.

Silence erupted between them and it took time before he answered;

"With all due _respect _sire, I don't think that she is someone's property."

"What?"

"This girl here has a life of her own and she is no one's belonging," Fakir looked at her who didn't have the courage to look back at the both of them, "On what you are doing to her right now is not so human-like."

"How dare you talk back to me like that?" Meyers said pointing his free hand to him.

"I'll take responsibility of her. If she done her mistakes, punish me instead."

Meyers glared at him but not intending to say another word and that he did. He glared at the girl who was not looking at them before leaving the room for them. He knew that he should not act more than that.

Fakir looked at the retreating back of the soldier. He couldn't trust Ahiru's master after all. Speaking of the girl, he looked back at her. Ahiru was still looking down on the ground. He mentally cursed to see her miserably. He slowly went closer to her and crouched in front of her. Not making her to startle, he slowly held her chin up with his hand so that she could look up to him.

"Ahiru…" he gently mentioned her name for the first time.

Ahiru was crying without her noticing, without her knowing that he had called her by her first name. She just stared at him blankly, "F-fakir-san," she didn't know where she got the courage to smile but she did in front of him, "G-gomen ne, y-you saw me in this horrible state."

"Hush, don't talk for now," he said wiping her tears at the same time, "I am here. I'll take care of you." His eyes became softened as he stared at her. Before, he wanted to punch her master but he just couldn't. If he did that, he knew that Ahiru would be more in trouble. He cupped both of her cheek before leaning down to give her a gentle kiss on the lips. Ahiru didn't flinch but he knew that she was shocked, but later on, she responded weakly. He broke the kiss that he started at he looked back at her and began examining her body.

Ahiru felt embarrassed after all the things that her master had done to her but the feeling that Fakir was the one who was exploring her body was something more. Her eyes softened, she could see in his eyes that he only meant protection as he did that. She gasped due to shock when Fakir's hands gently caressed her front.

"Let me heal you with this." He said looking straight in her eyes.

She felt like crying once again. Feeling helpless because of what happened, she stared at him. She felt helpless because of the stone that was no longer to her keepsake. The person in front of her had it but she felt alive when he was with her. She gave him her _life_ and he was giving it back to her… with the simple gesture that he was giving her. Fakir looked at her and she saw something in his eyes.

It was fondness.

Satisfied, she gave him her genuine smile before losing her consciousness, not missing her final words that night;

"Arigatou… for being my life… Fakir-san."

* * *

**Next day at the hospital:**

"He is indeed in coma for the meantime. Some blood lost from his brain and his brain cells are a bit affected due to the impact. His system can't take it that's why his mind is stopping him from waking up." The doctor explained the condition of Seigaku's acrobatic player to both teams, "it is up to him whether he would wake up or not. But for the meantime, I'll take further examination."

"Thank you, doctor." Sumire said. She had already called his parents last night and they were preparing for the things that Eiji needed. When the doctor arrived, she volunteered to hear his condition since she was also a guardian of the patient.

The doctor left after that leaving them anxiously.

Oishi gripped his hands tight, "I shouldn't have listened to my instinct."

Everyone looked at him.

"I knew that something bad was about to happen but I ignored it. If I stopped their date, none of this would've happened."

Sumire approached the Vice Captain and tapped his shoulder, "Don't blame yourself Oishi, no one knew that this could happen, not even Milfie. No one blames no one, okay."

Everyone nodded as well as Oishi who was still worried at his doubles partner. Then, Oishi noticed something, "Where's Sakuraba-san?"

They looked at each other to see if they could see the pink haired girl but no to avail. Then they looked at the room where Eiji was resided.

…In the Intensive Care Unit.

They went in as it was time for visit. He was being transferred the night before but his life was still not in condition that was why he was transferred in the ICU. There, they saw Milfie, hovering at Eiji's side while holding his hand. His head was bandaged; he had a tube in his mouth and nose and IVT for dextrose. Aside from the sound of the breathing machine and his heartbeat from the ECG, Milfie was silently sobbing there.

It seemed that the girl was the one affected the most.

"Eiji-kun… please wake up," she said sobbing with fear, "i-if I have to give my life to you… I am willing to give it, just come back, please."

Seigaku and Hyotei stared at the suffering girl in front of them.

"Y-you are the only one who noticed me from the darkness I am in. You are the only one who took me out from there. You are the only one who treated me as a human. You accepted me for who I am. When I met you… my life changed. I became happy in reality which I was previously feigning it. But you gave me a reason to smile. It's my time to do that. So please… please come back."

Oishi looked away. He couldn't take the scene of his partner and his partner's subject of affection. Eiji was pretty lucky to have found someone like her and it seemed that he didn't need to comfort his own best friend and partner.

"I am sorry… I am so sorry. Please… come back to us…" she said gripping his hand tighter, "to me…" Milfie looked up to see his weak countenance. She cried as she weakly leaned closer to kiss him on the cheek and said her next words to his ear, "I love you."

Not taking the scene anymore, Oishi went to the other side of the bed and gently touched his partner's arm, "Eiji! You better come back to us, you hear me! Do not leave your girlfriend here who is currently weeping for you," He said slowly but firmly, "You said that you are going to find me a girl, you have to fulfill that. So I dare you to wake up."

Everyone was shocked at Oishi's burst. True, he was the mother hen of team and he was genuinely showing his concern to everyone. He was the most worried person in the team as of now, aside from Milfie of course. Sumire and Tezuka went closer to the Vice Captain who continued talking;

"Fuji, Fuji will get mad at you if you still don't wake up. And I think that Echizen will knock out some tennis balls at you if you continue to sleep like that," he said. Tears started to fall down so he simply wiped them and continued speaking, "The golden pair is no longer a golden pair without you, so wake up!"

The rest of two teams looked at the sobers. Tezuka was silent but they knew that he was speaking to Eiji and Momo also started to talk as well. The small room was getting crowded so the nurse who was in charge of Eiji's politely told them to leave the room and come back in pair the next time they would visit the patient. Apprehending what the nurse said, they slowly walked out from the room. Tezuka tapped Oishi that they should leave while Sumire assisted Milfie. The girl looked at him for a while and was about to leave when she felt a gripped to her hand.

She stopped from attempting to leave and saw that Eiji was weakly gripping her hand, "E-eiji-kun."

They looked back and stared at the girl.

Milfie looked at them with a new hope, "H-he responded. E-eiji-kun moved," she went back to his side once again, "Eiji-kun…"

Oishi felt relieved when she heard her but he refrained himself from approaching the bed once again, "Minna… let her, maybe she might be the one who can bring Eiji back to us."

They agreed on what Oishi said. Sumire tapped his shoulder and commented;

"I am sure that he is very proud of you to be his partner."

Oishi just smiled weakly and nodded at her words. For that meantime, even though they hated it, all they had to do was to wait.

Wait for him to wake up.

* * *

**Pennsylvania:**

He couldn't sleep last night. On what had happened to his best friend did bother him a lot. He only came up with one meaning, the culprit was slowly targeting Sakuno's close friends. It would be hard for the girl to cope when she discovered the news. As far as they could, they would keep what happened to Eiji a secret from the girl. He already received a recent news from Tezuka.

That Eiji responded to Milfie's touched. That must be a good sign but that didn't stop him to worry about him. The question was; why would they target Eiji first? Was it a warning for everyone…

…Or to him?

He knew a lot about the case maybe they assumed that he did already.

Was it a treat for him? To target his close friend? He gripped his hands tighter as he stared at the ceiling of their unit. He needed to take extra precautions. He had this feeling that the culprit wasn't going to stop there. And he feared what he might be thinking _who_ could be the culprit's next target.

"Fuji-enpai?"

He looked to his right and stared at his kouhai who was doing the same thing as him. Despite the trouble, he still had the time the smile, "Gomen, did I wake you up?"

Still not looking at him he replied, "I wasn't asleep, couldn't sleep at all."

"Aa sou."

Silence was covered between them.

"What do you want to do now, senpai?" Ryoma asked afterwards.

He looked at him. Ryoma sat up and looked back at him.

"What are you planning to do?"

He continued staring at him before deciding to sit up as well. He put a hand to his head and asked back, "Saa… what do you think that I should do?"

Ryoma didn't say his thoughts as he only stared at him. It took minutes before he verbalized them;

"You should go."

Fuji opened his eyes after he said that. That was not actually the reply that he was expecting of him to say. Ryoma was stoically looking at him but he continued to talk;

"Visit him. He needs you there."

"Echizen, I am not the only one that he needs."

"And you are one of them, senpai. Besides," he smirked this time, "I need you to pass me a message to him… in 'person'."

The tensai understood his words when he needed to pass him a message in 'person'. A smile formed on his lips and finally nodding at his suggestions, "Alright, but I will come back as soon as possible. For the meantime, I'll ask someone to replace me here temporarily."

He looked at him for a while before saying his thoughts, "Two weeks senpai. Give me two weeks to spend time with this person of searching for more clues."

This time he closed his eyes and talked, "It seems that you already have a person in mind," Ryoma grunted and he continued, "Two weeks then but you have to keep from this person what really happened to Ryuzaki-chan here."

"Aa."

Hearing him say that, all he could think was to go home asap. He needed to know what really happened. As Tezuka told him everything, there was a hint that Eiji might saw something before the incident happened. What did Eiji see before he saved Milfie from the falling debris? He needed to confirm that and he was hoping that his best friend would wake up as soon as possible.

He knew that it was the culprit who did that to him. Gripping his hands too tight, he was only thinking one thought in his mind.

The culprit would really pay hard for his.

* * *

**Done! How was this chapter? Was it confusing? The last clue would be at Eiji's well if Fakir finally revealed the truth along with Ahiru… or if my mind is satisfied with the clues. The meaning of the picture will be answered by Reinja as** **Fuji understood the meaning of all rhymes. He will explain the rhymes future chapters. And who will be Ryoma's temporary companion? ** **Can you guess?**

**Mikage was from the same anime as Teito called '07-ghost'. He was Teito's best friend there who died in the hands of Ayanami. I sort of included his name here for reference but he will never appear here. I do not own the anime, just love sharing it.**

**Anyway, thank you for the reviewers who stayed after all this time, I am thinking of cutting this story to make a sequel so I will be taking a break after that… maybe for a month or so… but I will be making a four chapter omake or so for the meantime and then after that… the continuation of Crystal Teardrops II.**

**Last note: I've been proofreading some of my fics now and discovered how embarrassed I am as of today. There are lots and lots of mistakes there… I am going to edit them again. I'll start proofreading my Fantasy Beyond Reality and Crystal Teardrops because they are the ongoing fics… I am so embarrass… sorry for that… please don't read my other fics if you are now… tee hee hee… ;p**

**That's it for a while. Ja ne! ! !**

**Next Chapter: Little Wishes **


	41. Little Wishes

**Hi! Me back again. I know where to stop this fic for the meantime. But I don't know when it will end for now. I'll work on it and then… I promise that I'll give you a recap about the mysteries and secrets at the end of this story before I continue with the sequel. So rest assured, if you have questions, you can wait until I write the recap… thank you very much… ^_^**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Tenisu no Ouji-sama. Never will.**

* * *

**johanna - tee hee hee ganun ba?... hindi sapat na sau ang kadugtong na chapter na to... ^_^**

**Yumi014 - hi... welcome back again... ^_^ ...**

**ummm... let us just see that he's more than meets the eye or just don't judge the book by its cover? well, yeah... Meyers is Ahiru's current master and is really cruel to her.**

**yeah... their moments are wonderful alright... and Milfie is really haooy happy about it... too bad that it did not last long...**

**Can't help being mean for a while but I am not that mean... honest... I just need some sort of climax and a little drama... it serves the genre after all. don't worry this won't last long as well. I made it all up and no one is helping me... maybe it because I love watching anime that sometimes I can come up with an idea. Actually, before I write stories, I used to draw WITH stories in notebooks. Just like in manga but it wasn't that good that I kept it to myself. So I adopted some ideas from the drawings in my notebooks.**

**and you are right... it definitely relieved my stress... reading those chapters for five straight days during work... tee hee hee... naughty me... I just couldn't stop laughing that my co-workers were laughing back at me... they thought I was crazy... :P**

**If I have time... probably I'll read that again... ^_^**

**yana19 - chapter 29: wow thank you for reading this one too... it's been so long since I started this one... tee hee hee... I also like that line as well...**

**chapter 40 - well... this story is bound to be confusing and complicated. But everything will be solved soon. I amm glad that you read until the latest chapter... Well your questions will be answered if you read this... I hope you like it... ^_^ **

* * *

**Chapter 41: Little Wishes**

**Chapter Summary: Little Wishes might be faint and not so easy to hear but it was loud enough for the people who wished from the bottom of their hearts. They were screaming inside their tiny hearts.**

* * *

From Narita Airport, he went all the way to the hospital Eiji was in. He didn't bother to rest, not even for a minute as he desperately wanted to see his best friend's condition in the hospital. During the night, he had received information that Eiji responded weakly twice prior to Milfie's touch. That was a good sign; Eiji wanted to gain conscious as possible as he could. He felt that the acrobatic player wanted to tell them something. And maybe him; being there would hastened his recovery.

He reached the information station and asked where the Neuro-Intensive Care Unit was. It was not that hard to find the place also, it was timing that the visiting hours were currently available that moment. He entered the room. It was quiet but he could see him, surrounded by machines to support his life. Oishi was there but he wasn't aware that he was there. Milfie was leaning to the acrobatic player's side, her face hugging his arm. He approached the Vice Captain that made the latter shock.

"Fuji!" Oishi said, "H-how?"

Fuji just nodded and then looked at the two people on the bed. Oishi seemed to understand his words. The Vice Captain approached the girl and gestured them to go outside first. Milfie looked at him; it seemed that the girl hadn't stopped crying;

"F-fuji-san, I-I-" The girl tried to explain herself.

He smiled weakly at her as he tapped her shoulder, telling her that it was alright. He then looked at his other friend. Oishi continued to leave the room with Milfie supporting her. He was left alone with his best friend. He looked awful in reality, but he knew that he was fighting. He walked closer to the bed and grabbed his arm;

"Eiji, this isn't hard for you, right? I know you can survive this. You've been through a lot than this," he started staring at his sleeping face, "Sakuraba-chan, she is suffering a lot. She blames herself because of what happened."

He was a bit startled when Eiji reacted. He knew he heard him say those words. Eiji was fighting; he wanted to wake up as soon as possible. The tensai's countenance changed to something serious. With his eyes opened, he continued, "You saw something back there, am I right? Is that the reason why you wanted to wake up? Don't rush it. I'll take care of things here. You should recover and we will wait for you."

He yanked something in his pocket and called someone. While he was waiting for the other line to pick up, he leaned to Eiji's ear and whispered something;

"Leave the rest to me and let me take cover for a while."

'Moshi, moshi.'

Fuji heard the other line speak, he leaned back and talked to the both of them, "Eiji, Echizen here wants to talk to you." With that he put the phone near the acrobatic player's ear;

On the other hand, Ryoma had been waiting for the tennis tensai to call him and it took ages for the tensai to reach him. When he did, he actually didn't know what to say to the unconscious senpai. It took minutes for him before he started to talk. Gripping his phone really hard, he remembered those annoying actions he had been doing to him before. With that he smirked;

"Senpai no baka…" he whispered. He knew that Fuji could hear him but he didn't care anymore. It was Eiji who was lying unconscious on a hospital bed. He might as well become an out of character for once, "I can't believe that you let your guard down. Tezuka-buchou is so disappointed in you."

Fuji listened to his words. Of course he was shocked but he still smiled after that. He thought that the youngest tennis prodigy could bring all the words that he couldn't say to his best friend. And it was all thanks to Ryoma. He focused back on his retorting voice which was a bit higher than before;

"I am disappointed too, you made the whole team upset without you around," He almost shouted on the phone and he was not going to stop for a while, "Wake up senpai! Wake up and get up from that stupid bed. Call me again with your stupid nickname that you have for me. You are the only one I allow you to call me that. Wake up and call me Ochibi again!"

He huffed for his nonstop retorting words. He caught his breath after that but he was done with his sermon and remained silent. If he kept snapping like that, he feared that he would cry, like the way he did before returning back to America and thank everyone with their own signature moves. It was a wonderful feeling and he wouldn't want to repeat with this kind of situation… at least not _in _that situation.

"Echizen…"

"…"

"…He responded to your words."

His eyes widened when the tensai said that. There was a small stain of liquid substance at the corner of his eyes. Darn. He cursed as he quickly wiped them. So Eiji heard him, it was embarrassing but it was the only way he could provoke him to wake up. And he believed that he was doing a good job.

"Echizen…"

"…"

"…Arigatou."

"…"

"…"

"Un." He made a tiny smile before ending the call. He knew that his senpai would wake in no time.

* * *

**Satoshi's residence:**

"B-baka! W-what are you doing?" Tomoka panicked when her boyfriend forced her to sit on his bed. They were doing their assignments together that day. Horio suggested that they should study at his place since it was quiet. Despite the commotion that they could hear and see around them, Sumire had instructed them not to slack off with their studies and that was they were doing right now.

Or so she thought.

Her eyes widened when Horio hovered to her, placing his one knee between her legs also forcing her to lie down. Horio smirked when she blushed, "Horio! Stop this!" she tried to push him and to her surprise, her boyfriend was too strong. Since when did he become so strong like that?

"No one's here now, _Tomoka-chan_," he said teasing her a little, "It's just you and me."

"Y-you-" she gasped when Horio surprisingly kissed her there. Her eyes widened when she felt him forcing her to lie down, "H-horio-" she gasped when the boy's hand landed on her leg, caressing her there. He successfully laid her down, with him on top of her.

"Why, don't you want to be with me?" Horio asked, a bit hurt. He felt that he was rejected by her.

Tomoka blushed. This guy was transparently stupid that was why they often fight, despite that they became a couple for long now, "Baka, if I didn't want to be with you, I wouldn't have been here."

"But your actions tell me otherwise," Horio said staring at her eyes and then looked away, "Geez… this is so embarrassing."

Tomoka looked away as well, "Y-yeah… you are right."

They stayed there in that position, looking at different directions. To some reason, they both looked at each other at the same time. Blush kept to their faces as they stared at each other. The next thing they knew, their lips collided with each other, fighting for dominance. Tomoka touched her boyfriend's cheek while Horio kissed her neck; he was also busy unbuttoning her shirt. He was about to undo the third button when Tomoka's phone suddenly rang.

Tomoka jumped from lying to sitting position, throwing Horio in the process… comically. Her heart was beating so fast trying to register what had happened earlier. Her eyes widened, she was about to give herself to her boyfriend and she couldn't believe it. She then looked at her phone which was still ringing. Half of her felt blaming the phone for interrupting their heated moment but half of her thanked the mobile that it didn't happen. She yanked it and saw who was calling her. Her eyes widened when she saw her caller and quickly answered it;

"Sakuno!" Tomoka squealed, "I am glad that you called. You have just saved me from danger."

Horio who was been thrown at the other side of the wall heard his girlfriend, "Hey, what do you mean by that?" he retorted massaging his head thinking that it got hit from somewhere.

Tomoka ignored him as she continued talking to her best friend. Horio listened to their conversation, and he saw how her reaction changed from one to another. She couldn't blame the girl, they hadn't seen each other for a long time now, at least since Sakuno went to Tennessee. Tomoka missed her terribly and he could see how hurt she was, he wasn't imagining it but he knew that he saw Tomoka cry that very moment. He didn't understand what they talked about but he couldn't care less. It was a girl talk anyway. He returned to his studies and waited for his girlfriend to finish talking with her best friend.

It took for almost an hour before they finished talking.

"Wow… that took forever." Horio joked when he saw her ended the girl and sighed.

"Shut up! I missed her that's why," She said going to back to the table where they were previously studying and sat across him, "We only just talked."

"Yeah, yeah," Horio said nodding and then smirked afterwards. He stood up, walked and sat beside her. He had this devilishly smirk plastered to his face when he continued talking, "Now, where were we?"

Tomoka began blushing again, especially when Horio began kissing her neck. Really, he never did this kind of things to her before and she never expected that he could do it now. Before he could continue, she showed his face away from her, "Quit it, Horio. We are studying."

"But Tomoka…" he protested.

Tomoka placed her hand in front of him, "No more, okay. You are taking advantage of the fact that we are alone."

Horio looked down. Tomoka stared at him. She wanted to laugh at the way he acted ridiculously in front of her. But they had been going out for a while and she didn't feel bad about it. It was weird at first but they turned out fine. Sighing, she crossed her arms and closed her eyes as she said her next words;

"Alright, if you get a perfect score in history, then I'll give you what you want."

Horio looked at her with a new hope as his reaction, "R-really?"

She pointed a finger, "But not all the way, though. We're too young if you know."

Horio sweat dropped, "W-well, I guess it's better than nothing," he said and then he walked back to his previous seat and started studying, "Okay, time to get this a perfect score."

She stared at him, "Getting worked up, huh?"

Horio replied with a grin, "Of course, you are the price after all."

Blush crept on her face once again, "It's not what you think."

"I know, I know," he said looking at the textbook, "let's study."

* * *

**Memphis, Tennessee:**

She placed her phone at the table near her. Her long talk with Tomoka was very tiring. The girl had told her everything, her feelings, her irritation, her sadness, her loneliness and her thoughts. She couldn't blame Tomoka though, she hadn't seen her for months, and of course her best friend was longing for her.

…As she longed for her as well.

She promised to herself that she would call her more often. Besides, she needed someone to talk to… in this lonely and quiet room. Being there in that dull room made her feel homesick more. She wanted to see them, she wanted to see her grandmother, she wanted to see everyone, and even Capella, Ahiru, Fakir and Hayate were included. She didn't know how long she would be staying in that room let alone in that country. She wanted to go home… in the land of the rising sun.

'_Woah, woah, I wanna change everything for you.  
Woah, woah, I gotta feel daybreak in my life.  
Woah, woah, I wanna change everything for you,  
Woah, woah, I gotta take you to heaven...'_

She flinched when she heard her phone ring. Due to her thoughts that she had early, she didn't bother checking  
her caller as she reached for phone and answered it;

'Moshi, moshi.'

'Yo.'

Her eyes widened when she recognized the voice. _R-ryoma-kun… _she thought as smile appeared on her face, 'Echizen-kun… you called.'

'Of course, I promised you, didn't I?'

'R-right…'

'Fuji-senpai went home today.'

'E-eh? Why?' she asked him but she didn't receive any reply from him, 'Echizen-kun.'

'He needs to do something back in Japan but he'll return here soon.'

'I… I see,' she answered and then verbalized her thoughts, 'I wonder what everyone is doing back in Japan right now,' hearing him reacted a little, she added her words, 'I-I know that you are fed up with me asking that same question when I talk to you, Gomen.'

'Betsuni,' he replied, 'everyone's doing fine, rest assured on that.'

'Sou ka… But what about you? You are alone there… in Pennsylvania, right?'

'Do you want to accompany me then?'

She blushed when he said that, 'I—I… you know that I can't leave this place.' _No matter how I tried to leave this area and go with you but I just can't. _She added in her thoughts.

'Un, I am just kidding. I feel secure when you are there. You'll be safe there.'

'I-I guess so.'

'Ryuzaki.'

'H-hai?'

'Just a little more.'

'E-eh?!'

'Wait for me and you will be free again.'

Her eyes widened once again when he said that. She understood him, she understood his words. Ryoma wanted what was best for her. It wasn't that bad to rely at his words, right? She knew that he could do it. He could free her from those four corners of the wall without windows to seek upon. She smiled genuinely even though he couldn't see her do that, 'Hai… thank you.'

'I need to go. Talk to you soon.'

'Take care of yourself… _Ryoma-kun… _Echizen-kun.'

'Un.'

She felt another motivation to continue on what she believed after the call. Hugging the phone to her chest, she silently wished. _Everything will be all right. I know… because he's here. I… Ryoma-kun, I wish to see you soon… and… go home together._

**xxx**

He didn't tell her everything and somehow, he felt heavy… about lying to her. But it was for her own good. Lying to her was what was best for her for the meantime.

First, he was currently in New York.

Second, he wasn't particularly alone.

Third, he kept his mouth shut to the truth.

It was him after all. The boy—err—the man with few words. He almost divulged the information about Fuji travelling back to Japan. Good thing that she didn't pay attention to that topic. He looked at his phone and remembered something;

"I need to fetch him now." With that, he went out to his unit and walked his way to the airport.

* * *

**Kitazawa Mansion:**

She woke up in a different room. Examining the area, she noticed that the room was quite dark but she didn't feel nervous at all. She also noticed the figure moving to her side. A smile appeared on her face, as she saw the young boy curling to her side. She gently brushed the young boy's hair causing him to move and wake up.

"M-mama." He said rubbing his eyes.

She was shocked when he called her that. She remembered Teito, the young boy's father. Thinking of the young prince's whereabouts, she hoped that Teito was doing fine and safe. She smiled as she hugged the young boy;

"Capella-kun."

The young boy blinked his eyes twice. She was gently hugging him with comfort, "Are you okay?"

"Un." She said, "I missed you, that's all."

"I missed you too, mama." He whispered.

"Capella-kun," she said cupping Capella's face, "You know that I can't stay as your mother forever."

"B-but… I only know one mother and that's you."

She shook her head making the boy's reaction become hurt and upset, "Listen, you will meet your real mother soon and she's a good friend of mine. But don't worry; I will not abandon you even you are to reunite with your real parents."

"R-really?"

"Really." She smiled.

"Capella can have two mothers if he likes."

Both of them looked at the last person who spoke. Fakir was entering the room with a tray of food. She blushed when she instantly remembered what happened between them. Looking away, she bit her lower lip as she gripped her hands on her lap. Capella watched her with bewilderment as Fakir sat at the corner of the bed and stared at her. She gasped when the knight's hand went to her cheek and gestured her to look at him. She blushed at his simple action.

"How are you feeling?" he said nonchalantly.

Her heart skipped a beat and her eyes widened, of course. But she didn't forget to reply, "I-I am fine… thank you." She then remembered everything. Leaning while grabbing his hand on her face, she asked the knight, "H-how long have I been sleeping?"

Fakir didn't reply right away. He watched the hand that she was gripping before looking back at her worried face, "You've been sleeping for less than sixteen hours."

Her eyes widened, "T-that long?"

Fakir nodded, "I tended all your wounds. Miraculously, they could easily heal overnight."

She let go of his hand and started examining her body. She even blushed more when she recognized that she was wearing his large shirt. That explained the place. She slept in the knight's room with Capella at her side.

"You should eat." Fakir said giving the tray of food to her.

She blushed as she accepted it, "A-arigatou, Fakir-san," She started eating as she felt the hunger to her stomach. Capella and Fakir were staring at her. When she noticed them, she stopped and shyly offered the food, "D-do you want some?"

Both of them flailed their hands, "No! You eat." …And said at the same time.

She nodded hesitantly. The maid felt awkward as she was being watched while they were watching her eat.

* * *

**At the hospital:**

Everyone learned about the arrival of the Seigaku tensai in the hospital. He was being surrounded by his teammates and friends. Kawamura quickly rushed to the hospital when he discovered on what happened to Eiji and he was also shocked to see Fuji with them. Eiji's parents felt a little relieved when they learned that their son responded. They were currently inside the room while Milfie was being escorted by Oishi outside.

"Do you have any idea why they attacked Kikumaru?" Atobe asked the tensai.

Fuji opened his eyes as he nodded, "The riddle… it is all about Eiji."

Everyone wide eyed when he said that. They were waiting for his next answer but he said nothing. Tezuka broke the silence;

"Can you explain what is happening here?"

The tensai looked at each of them, Seigaku and Hyotei before he started opening his mouth,

'_Ice cream, soda pop, cherry on top  
Who's your best, I forgot;  
Is it an A! B! C! CRASH!__'_

He recited the rhyme once again, the way he remembered it. Everyone wondered about the rhyme so he explained it to them, "I also had the hint that it's between Eiji and Oishi at first but then I remembered that it was Eiji who treated me as his close friend."

"What do you mean by that?" Kaidoh asked this time.

"Eiji is my best friend, the CRASH in the final line is telling us about the accident," he said, "The culprit might discover that WE are a burden to their plans and getting rid of us is the only way," Fuji looked at them and said, "Their target is me."

They gasped at their words, "what do you say that?" Ohtori said facing him.

"They knew that I have the knowledge and they feared that I might discover their whereabouts," he looked away, "Somehow, I think that they targeting me instead of others because they knew that I could solve the problem that easily."

"He is right." Atobe said making everyone look at him, "He figured the rhyme that easily there's this possibility that he might discover the real culprit."

"We shouldn't let our guard down still," Tezuka said, "Be careful now that the culprit is targeting Ryuzaki's close friend. It will upset her really hard."

"That's why we should keep this as a secret to her," Fuji said, "Also, I am curious about what Eiji saw above. I knew that he had seen something before he saved little Milfie here." He said then looking at the both of them who were sitting on the chair.

"What could it be?" Sumire said as she looked at the room where the acrobatic player was located.

Fuji did the same thing, "We will never know unless he wakes up," Everyone looked at the same area, "Guys I need to confirm something. I'll leave first."

They nodded as he allowed him. They followed his trail as he exited the hospital.

"Where is he going?" Mukahi Gakuto asked to no one.

Sumire answered his question, "He's worried about his sister and brother. He's going home."

* * *

**New York:**

He had been waiting for his companion to arrive at the airport. Drinking ponta thrice wouldn't do him anything. He hated waiting like that. His sensei told him to go to the airport at such time but she didn't tell him the specific. True that he was always the one to go and was seeing off by them but he didn't expect that waiting like this could be hard. He threw his third ponta and twitched;

"Che, where is that stupid person?" he said as he went to the vending machine and decided to buy another ponta. Really, he needed to kill time and ponta was his remedy. He yanked some coins to his pocket and was about to drop it on the coin slot;

"Echizen!"

He looked at the person who called him. There, he saw the person waving at him; big grin was plastered to the person's face. Judging from the reaction, he knew that it was the person's first time stepping foot in the America. He put the coins back to his pocket once again and approached his walking companion;

"Osoi," he said looking up to the person, "What took you so long, Momo-senpai?"

The dunk smasher scratched his head as he smiled, "Gomen, I got lost that's why."

"Che," he retorted, "What's the use of phone, baka."

"Hey, I was excited that I forgot to call you, okay."

"We are not here to have fun remember?"

"Hai, hai, I know," He started to walk, "So where are we going now?"

"My unit and then I'll tell you my plans."

"Okay," he said, "How's Ryuzaki-chan by the way?"

He flinched when he asked that, "Fine."

"Geez, Echizen," Momo shook his head, "You never changed."

He smirked at his words. If only he knew but he would never tell him anyway. He couldn't tell Momo about the condition Sakuno was in right now, because they didn't know about the incident that happened at Mud Island, only Tezuka, Inui and Atobe knew. He would make him understand that he couldn't talk or see Sakuno while they were in New York.

Thus, they had a mission that they needed to accomplish.

* * *

**Done! How was this chapter? I guess Ryoma's companion was unexpected? The secrets and mysteries are almost complete now. Once, Eiji woke up, everything will be revealed… at least… I hope… Well anyway, what do you think?**

**Bear with me for a little more. I am sorry that there are no Ryosaku moments for a while but soon… they will be soon reunited and more Ryusaku moments to come. I just want to reveal all the mysteries before I get to the romance section. I promise it will be worth the wait… bear with me… thank you… ^_^**

**Sakuno's ringing tone was a song of Junko Minagawa's from her album 'Future of blue' called _Daybreak. I do _not own the song, just love sharing it... ^_^ **

**Next chapter: Rejuvenation **


	42. Rejuvenation

**Hi! I am back again! I don't want to say anything for now… or not.**

**Just sharing (you can ignore this though):Two days ago, I was pissed with this new student of mine. It was supposed to be our first meeting but he was giving me a hard time talking to him; in the end he didn't want to talk to me that day because it was unexpected for him that I was his new teacher. I didn't like him too, like I wanted him to be my student or something but last night when I talked to him… I kinda felt guilty why… he was the one who told me that our conversation was quite bad yesterday and kinda apologized to it and then he initially introduced himself to me without me asking him in the first place. He turned out to be a fine, nice student in the end. So last night, I was happy that he became my student. He started being my student since last night… I was pissed but now I am not. ^_^**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Prince of Tennis and never will.**

**johanna - salamat namen tee hee hee. Umm. no but I've seen the trailer on T.V. panghapon kasi tulog ako ng ganung oras e... kelangan e... pero tama ka nga magkahawig sila... tee hee hee... ^_^**

**Yumi014 - tee hee hee... I just want to have their 'little' moment at least... Some prefer that pairing... but I just don't know... I think TomokaxHorio were more on humorous than TomokaxKaidoh which a bit serious one... well... really... **

**Tee hee hee... yeah you are right... definitely... and You will know their actions here... ^_^**

**Umm... I stopped reading the manga for a while so not yet... I knida obsess with this manga called Ai Ore for a while... I like more on Romantic comedy... but I'll continue when I'm done with it...**

**And I read the eccentric files but I am not finished yet... and you are right but I like it... it's funny... at least... I am not sure whether to read that or not because it has different format... but when I started reading the first chapter I couldn't stop... tee hee hee... They are so funny... I love the way they replied to their messages whether it's from the letters, e-mails or texts. They were even replying to their subject captiosn...tee hee hee... I like the way Naruto teases Sasuke... especially when he says that he has cooties... tee hee hee... and also claiming that he likes Sakura... that was so hilarious... but I stopped at chapter 6 realizing man it's already time... my shifts already ended that day... I just read that fic last night...I'll continue reading it tonight... ohh just when it's getting good... tee hee hee... thank you for sharing that one too... I prefer romantic comedy... ^_^ **

* * *

**Chapter 42: Rejuvenation**

**Chapter Summary: His eyes were the only witness. His eyes might be the answer to everything. His eyes might save everyone from danger. It would be like that… if they finally opened.**

* * *

"Syuusuke?" Yumiko was shocked to see him at their front porch, "I thought that you are in America?"

Fuji entered the room and looked for Yuuta, "I went home temporarily," he found Yuuta practicing in their tennis garden and was a bit shocked to see him there.

"N-nii-san?" Yuuta said, "What are you doing here?"

"I am just checking something." He said as he looked at his younger brother.

"What are you checking then?" his older sister asked him.

His already opened eyes were staring at them already. He closed his eyes as he thought of something and hugged the both of them. The two of them were shocked when he did that, "I am happy to see you two."

Yuuta blushed when they were being hug by then, "N-nii-san, stop it, you're embarrassing me."

"Let him, he just misses us, that's all." She said tapping Fuji's back while smiling at Yuuta.

Fuji just contented at hugging the two. No matter what happened, he would protect his family. He wouldn't let anyone get hurt again. He swore at that very moment. Finally making a decision, he was eager to find the culprit as soon as possible.

* * *

**New York:**

"Say, Echizen. Why can't I see Ryuzaki-chan again?" Momo suddenly asked him as he shifted his attention from the laptop to Ryoma.

Ryoma was just lying on his stomach as he waited for him to analyze the pictures that they had seen before. Flinching a little, he replied, "She's in danger, that's why."

"We all know that," Momo said, "but that doesn't mean that we cannot see her?"

Ryoma rolled over and lied to his back this time, "Her parents are strict. I am not even allowed to see her."

The dunk smasher blinked his eyes twice and smirked, "Sooo, Echizen misses Ryuzaki-chan, ei?"

He narrowed his eyes when his senpai said that but he never said anything to him.

"And you are not denying that. You wanted to see her. How long have you been apart from her?" Momo continued.

Ryoma ignored him but he thought his question. Momo arrived in New York three days ago and the incident that happened in Mud Island was just almost a week ago but he couldn't tell his senpai about that. And because they wanted the girl to be safe in the prison room, they needed to stay away from her. Then he thought hard.

He wanted to see her.

He wanted to touch her.

He wanted to kiss her again.

He wanted to steal her from _him_. She was never _his_ anyway. _He_ was just a mere fiancé of hers. He wanted to tell her everything… made it clear to her. But he knew that it was not the right time to do that. He promised her that when everything was over, he would tell her. He had enough potential that they could survive this danger and no one could get hurt. That everything would be back to normal and they could play tennis again. Them, competing in the nationals… and her, watching them play again.

Yeah, everything would be back to normal as he believed.

"I knew it!"

Ryoma was cut from his train of thoughts when Momo said, "What?" he looked at him.

"You are thinking of the girl," He said making him feel surprise a little; "I can see that you are. You are not even retorting to what I said."

Ryoma stared at him for a while, Momo just grinned at him like a crazy maniac. He closed his eyes as he grabbed a pillow and threw it straight to his face, "Just analyze the pictures senpai so that we can get out of here."

"So young, so young." He said as he threw that pillow back to him before returning his focus on the laptop.

"Che." He grunted as he turned around for a while. For the first time in his life, he didn't feel annoyed when Momo teased him and it was very rare for him. With that he, silently cursed.

Darn… Momo was right after all.

**xxx**

Everyone had their thoughts with confused, complicated, random and blurred things in their minds. Things were getting more and more confusing as they were still trying to solve the problem. Now that they were being targeted as well, they should double their guard. Sumire was the one worried the most. She gathered everyone and verbalized her thoughts which everyone made a shocking reaction;

"S-stay out of this, sensei?" Fuji was the one to react. He remembered what happened to Eiji that he was able to react like that, "Are you telling us to stay away from investigating?"

Sumire nodded as she clasped both of her hands, "This is way dangerous for all of you, I hope you all understand me."

"I am sorry, sensei," Fuji said not looking at her, "I cannot back out to this."

"Me too, sensei." Oishi agreed. Everyone was shocked when they heard the mother hen agreed. When it came to this situation, he was actually the one to stop this. But it was the other way around.

"Do you know what you get yourself into?" Sumire was starting to get pissed, "I am trying to protect all of you."

"But sensei-"

"Eiji is lying on a hospital bed right now!" Sumire shouted, "Does anyone of you wants to occupy another bed?Huh?"

Everyone looked at each other as they murmured at the same time.

"This is too way dangerous to all of you. You should be attending school as of now, not doing any detective stuff or something," Sumire said, "You should be enjoying yourselves playing tennis, not like this. Not facing a dangerous path."

No one said a word after that. They seemed to absorb what Sumire had said. It was true that the situation was serious and it was pretty dangerous for them to continue. Fuji gripped his hands tight, he hated being useless at that time. He couldn't help anyone, he couldn't help his sensei's granddaughter, and he couldn't help his kouhai, his family… and even Eiji. He silently cursed himself.

"Ne, is it morning already?"

Everyone looked at the last person who spoke. The orange-haired guy rubbed his eyes as he yawned and sat up to the bench.

"J-jirou?" Gakuto blinked his eyes twice, W-when did he sleep there?"

Jirou looked at them and started rabbling something, "We should be enjoying ourselves, right? Right?" he went from one person to another making sweat drop, "But we wanted to do this and we like to help. And why are you looking all sad. You know that the guy at the other side of this door-" he went straight to Eiji's front door and pointed the frame, "will be sad. Why are you fighting? He wants to have fun, right? Right?"

They just watched them said his random thoughts;

"Hey, Fuji-san, why are you giving up? Huh?"

Fuji's eyes widened when Jirou said that. He actually couldn't reply to his words as he continued talking;

"He wouldn't like that, I think. If so, then why was he trying wake up? Was he wanted to tell you what he saw there so badly? More importantly, are you going to let everything he did fall into a waste?"

Everyone was shocked at his words. Jirou kept on rambling but he ignored them now. Gakuto tried to stop him as Fuji and the others faced Sumire;

"Ryuzaki-sensei, Jirou-san is right. We cannot let everything fall into waste," Fuji said facing her with so much determination in his eyes, "The culprit maybe targeting us now and hiding is not the reason to escape them."

"Fuji's right, sensei," Tezuka said this time who was quiet all the time, "Hiding is useless anymore. They will find us no matter what."

"I prefer to face them before they even find us," Inui said which was followed by Oishi and Kawamura, "We will take extra careful from now on."

"For Eiji and Ryuzaki-chan's sake, we will fight." Oishi said who was determined to go on.

Sumire looked at them with a shock reaction on her face. She feared for their safety but she knew that she couldn't stop them now. The coach just didn't know what to do anymore.

"Sensei," Fuji said smiling at her this time, "We will act to our limits; we will not act beyond that. I promise you this."

Tezuka nodded as so as Oishi and the others including Hyotei. Sumire admitted defeat this time as she smiled sighing, "Alright, just make sure that you will give me your word."

Everyone smiled at her decision. Now that they were okay once again, they needed to find the culprit as soon as possible.

"If not, I will ban you all from playing tennis forever!" Sumire cruelly announced making everyone shock when they heard that, "and that is no exemption to Hyotei as well."

They didn't respond. They needed to keep their words or it would be the end of their tennis career. They finally agreed with sweat drops forming on their heads, readying for another obstacle in their life.

**xxx**

"Y-you're leaving too?" Sakuno couldn't believe what she was hearing at that moment. Standing in front of her was her so called 'fiancé' visiting her that night. She was looking at him shockingly. The stare he was giving her was like the time they first met, enigmatic and hypnotizing.

…Yet terrifying.

Her fiancé nodded cutting her from her reverie.

"I don't want to leave you but I must. It's for your safety," he said still looking at her, "I need to go back to England to fill my position there and enough to be your future partner in life. While I am away, I'll make my own search about the culprit."

She looked down. Everyone was starting to leave her now, both Seigaku and Kitazawa household. Her parents were still there and the triple bodyguards around the hotel. Gripping her hands tight to her side she talked, "Just how long I should hide in this place?'

He stared at her and didn't say anything.

"My life was peaceful and quiet before all of you came. I was happy with my previous life. From there, I didn't have to hide, I didn't have anyone to order me around, I didn't have someone to tell me what to do. I missed my life, my peaceful and happy life."

Silence welcomed them after she told him her thoughts. She then looked at him and was shocked at what she said a while ago. Crying a little was also returned her back to reality. She immediately wiped then as she continued;

"G-gomen ne, I-I didn't mean to say those words. I-it's just that everything changed after I entered this life. I-I guess it was still hard to adjust until now. I—I guess I need-"

She was cut when her fiancé suddenly hugged her tightly, "C-chris-kun!"

"I promise you," he started, "That I'll be strong enough to protect you when I come back."

Her eyes widened as she blushed at the same time. She listened to his words as he continued;

"I'll be the person you will lean and depend on. I'll be enough for you when that time comes," his hug tightened as he continued; "I love you very much, Sakuno. I'll give you my life if I have to."

She held her breath when he said that. Every word that he imparted sounded so true to her ears and somehow, she didn't like it. She was afraid, afraid to understand him, afraid to regret everything, afraid that she had to choose in the end. She was confused as of now. Chris distanced himself from her and stared straight at her eyes.

"Wait for me, and I'll come back to you," he wiped her tears gently; "I will be the one to save you from this hell."

She stared at him and basically was not paying attention. Chris leaned closer to her face. She let out a gasp and her eyes widened as his lips touched hers. It was gentle. He pulled her closer before she could even push him away. Her body trembled as she stiffened. She wanted to push him but her mind was not telling her to do so. She didn't have the guts to do it. In the end, she helplessly closed her eyes and let him kiss her.

_I am scared. I couldn't do anything. I wanted to fight, I wanted to help them but they wouldn't let me. They are keeping my precious life here safe and sound. I don't want this; I don't want this kind of life if they are fighting it for me. What should I do? I only want to stay ordinary like before. And continue with my normal life. What should I do?... _Another set of tears from her eyes were streaming down freely on her face as continued with her thoughts.

…_Ryoma-kun…?_

* * *

**One week later:**

"Kuso!" Momo cursed as he punched the wall beside him, "This is harder that I thought. Where is that stupid culprit?" they were roaming the New York City for a week but they couldn't find any clue until that very moment.

Ryoma was pissed too. It seemed that searching in that city was useless. No matter where they searched, there was no sign that the Kitazawa heir ever lived there, "Let's go, senpai."

Momo looked back at him and said, "What are you giving up now?"

"You know that never came from my dictionary."

"Then why are you saying that now?"

"Let's just go home and look for more clues." Ryoma said as he continued to walk away.

Momo sighed. His kouhai was right after all. It was useless searching the area. He followed his kouhai and then remembered something, "Hey Echizen, let's visit Ryuzaki-chan today, ne?"

Ryoma stopped and flinched for a while and Momo smirked when he saw him react like that but became curious when the former started walking once again.

"Hey, did you hear what I said?"

"…"

"Echizen!"

"I heard you." He retorted.

"Then let's go."

"We can't."

"Why?"

"We just can't, okay."

"I don't understand you. We knew where she is right now and it's only hours away to go there. Why can't we visit her?" Momo said catching up with him.

Ryoma pinned his hat down, "It's dangerous, we might put her in danger."

Momo twitched and retorted, "We don't! Let's just be careful. And I know that you are _dying_ to see her too-" he was cut when Ryoma looked at him sternly and retorted back;

"I wanted to see her, you are right," he started but then looked away, "No matter how much I wanted to, I just can't. I hope you understand that."

Momo was shocked at his words. Ryoma sounded so desperate to his ears. Never did in his life to imagine that his kouhai would express himself a little like that. He was agape but he was able to blurt out his own feelings, "Y-you… you must have love Ryuzaki-chan that much…"

Ryoma didn't show any sign of reaction but he knew that the former clearly heard what he said. He must have also imagined that Ryoma faintly cursed as he slowly gripped his hands.

Momo watched him silently. Ryoma would never tell him but he knew that he was having a hard time. And he was not oblivious about it. Not only Sakuno's life was in danger but he also had a rival for her love. But he knew that Ryoma wouldn't give up on her as he said earlier, giving up was never in his dictionary. With that resolve, he extended his arm and recklessly put them on his shoulder making his kouhai shock in the process;

"Shinpai nai, Echizen!" he said, "Everything will be alright. Just trust her as she trusts you."

He looked at him with a wondering reaction to his eyes but when he understood what he said to him. His eyes softened and smiled back at him, "Un."

They continued walking their back to their unit and thought of something new to search for the Kitazawa personas. They knew that things would get tougher from that day on.

* * *

**One and a half month ago, second week of May:**

The search between Ryoma and Momo was useless until Fuji returned and replaced the dunk smasher once again. Fuji made sure that his family and friends were safe and sound before leaving the country. Momo had never seen Sakuno during his stay in New York while Eiji never woke up all those weeks but he was transferred to a private room courtesy of Atobe. His accident was kept secret in public as his parents and his sisters requested it. He still showed some signs of responses of waking up that was why he was transferred to a comfortable room. His tube from the mouth was also removed and been replaced by NGT in his nose for food. In fact, he was doing fine and everyone was only waiting for him to wake up.

A month and a half passed by and there no progress of their search. Miraculously, the culprit hadn't made any move as of now. Sakuno never received any information from Ryoma or Chris during those durations of time making the girl so awfully lonely. Ryoma had only one week to stay in New York for he had to compete for the French Open for two weeks. He was not a seeded type so he needed to join for the qualifying round until the finals if fate was on his side. After all the trouble and danger, he needed to participate in this tournament just to tell everyone that everything was normal, in front of the normal and oblivious people and students around him. He was indeed popular and also making his name to the top. He wasn't different like Ryuzaki or that blondie guy who were so popular. If he won the French open, he would become more popular than before.

The Kitazawa couple discovered all the rhymes and the pictures they showed to them. The picture painted by the same name was actually from their ancestors. Reinja promised them to take them to that place where the person painted the place and it might be a great help for the case. The hints were coming together now. They also promised protection to the both Seigaku and Hyotei regulars after what happened to Eiji. As of now, no one seemed to raid anyone of them. Their power was really strong in some way and they were very thankful for that. Fuji breathed at ease, somehow his worries about his friends and family subsided a little. But he wouldn't stop searching for whoever did those things to Eiji. Now that they were going back to Japan, he knew where to look first and once he had found it, he would make his own move like he had sworn in front of the acrobatic player.

He was making his best friend wait for almost two months now and he was not going to wait him any longer.

Fakir and Ahiru had been hiding in darkness, particularly for the maid. She had been punished twice after the incident where Fakir found her in that cellar and Fakir couldn't come in time due to a mission. But the knight made sure that he would take an eye on her, if he was there inside the mansion. Ahiru would sleep in her cabin with Capella who secretly sneaking at nights. The young boy wanted to see her as possible as he could like he missed Sakuno. They hadn't seen each other for three months already. He missed her badly. Fakir on the other hand, also sneaked outside her room just to check up on her. If Capella wasn't around, he would enter inside and gave her a little 'comfort'. Ahiru wouldn't mind that. She was lucky that the knight had been paying attention to her. Ahiru had grown fond of the knight as they travelled together.

The mysteries were getting lighter but not that easy to solve. No one could say when they were going to solve this case at all. As long as they couldn't get another hint, they couldn't get to another one.

* * *

**At the hospital:**

It was already more than a month since the accident but there were no sign of the acrobatic player waking up. Milfie as usual volunteered to stay in the hospital and still holding Eiji's hand. She was looking all weary but she wasn't bothered by her looks. Fondly looking at now peaceful expression of Eiji, she weakly smiled. At least he was progressing now. Her attention was cut when the door of the room opened and a person entered;

"C-christopher-san…" she couldn't believe that her step-brother was there, "W-what are you doing here? I-I thought you were in London?"

"I came to pick you up," he said walking fast to her and grabbed her hand in haste, "You are going home with me."

Milfie was shocked at his sudden actions. Before she was being dragged by him, she pulled her hand away from her and walked back a few steps to the bed, "I will not go with you, I-I'll stay with Eiji-kun."

Chris glared at her and said, "Stop being stubborn! My family needs you take over their small business and you are capable of doing that."

"No! Not until Eiji-kun wakes up!"

"Didn't you hear what I said?" Chris walked a little closer, "Don't argue with me and just come silently."

"You cannot make me!" she closed her eyes tight as she said her next words, "I'll stay beside him!"

**Slap!**

Milfie was shocked when she received a slap from him. She didn't look back at him but she touched her reddened cheek.

"He's a bad influence to you! Look what he'd done to you!" Chris shouted not even care if he already made a commotion inside the hospital, "You have the guts to answer my now!" with that he grabbed her hand once again.

Milfie was still surprised at his words and actions. But she quickly recovered. Her countenance changed quickly as she shoved her hand away from him for the second time making Chris shock and look at her in the process.

"He's not a bad influence. H-how could you say that?" she retorted before he could even speak, "I am happy what I am with him. I love him," she looked at him with a desperate look in her eyes, "I truly love him."

Chris smirked, "Nonsense. You are helplessly in love with me. There is no way that you will fall in love with that guy."

"I do," she said seriously, "He taught me how to love him. He taught me that he should be the one that I should love. I know that you can never love me back, so I gave my heart another chance to someone else," she looked down as she began shaking, "After you told me that I should k-kiss… R-ryoma-kun back then."

"…"

"He forgave me after what I did. I-I love you Christopher-san," she looked up making him flinch, "but I love Eiji-kun… as a man."

Chris was deadpanned. The commotion seemed to subside. Sumire, Tezuka, and Oishi entered the room with that scene and they knew that something was going on. Sumire was about to ask them when Chris spoke;

"You are useless. You are waiting for someone whom you are not sure of waking up."

They didn't like what the blonde guy said but Milfie defended the bedridden patient;

"He will wake up, I know he will." Milfie was still crying. They didn't notice that Eiji's hand and eyes were flinching weakly, "I'll wait for him to wake up even if it takes forever. He saved my life that night and… and if he wouldn't wake up… I am willing to give up mine for him." With that she covered her face with her hands. It was too much for her to handle. She couldn't take it anymore. She wanted to sacrifice herself just to make sure that Eiji would wake up someday.

Sumire walked to her and hugged her, "Hush my dear; I know that Eiji could hear at this moment. He wouldn't like what you said a while ago. But I know that he's proud of you."

"O-obaa-chan." She hugged the old lady back.

Chris looked at them unemotionally. Tezuka looked at him but didn't say anything. He was like telling him something and he seemed to understand him. He closed his eyes as he turned around, "Do what you like, I don't care anymore." With that he exited the room leaving them behind.

Milfie was still currently on Sumire chest as Oishi tapped her back;

"Sakuraba-san, I am also proud of you." The Vice Captain smiled genuinely at her making the girl cry more. They let her weep to the fullest as if they weren't disturbing someone who was sleeping at that moment.

"T… thirsty…"

Four pairs of eyes widened as gasps came out to their mouths when they heard _him_ talk weakly. They slowly looked back to the bed and saw _him_ slowly opening _his _eyes. _He_ looked at them and smiled weakly;

"Milfie-chan?... you are crying… again, Oishi… don't stare at me that. You two… stop with that reaction." He joked as he pouted a little but then remembered something, "Ne, I am… thirsty… g-give me water Oishi."

Everyone was stunned at their location, no one could move as he continued talking;

"Water… I said."

Milfie was the one to recover which was followed by Eiji and then the two. Milfie and Oishi's voice were really excited to voice his name.

"EIJI-KUN/EIJI! ! !"

* * *

**Done! Was this enough for you? Eiji woke up finally. And now that he had woken up, everything will be clear next chapter and then… you will see tee hee hee…**

**Sorry about making this fic a bit fast forward making Momo and Fuji's moves lost in actions. Fuji will have his move in the future just wait for it and Momo's just there to tease his kouhai… I guess I just did that. I need to do this so that Eiji will wake up and the mysteries will be solved soon. RyoSaku moments will be soon as well… wait for it. Happiness will be received for those who wait. ^_^**

**It will be few chapters left because this fic will end for a sequel… this will take a break for a month or so… I will be making a new fic in its replacement… no an omake really… and for my new fic and updates… please see… _Cherry Valentines_ chapter 2 and _Earning Tears_. Thanks… ^_^**

**One more thing: Sorry about the grammar mistakes… I've been trying to locate them… I did but I couldn't edit them for a while… I started editing _Absolute Kiss_… and when I finished editing that… I'll start editing _Fantasy Beyond Reality_ and then this one… thank you… ^_^**

**Reviews please! Just one word is enough for me. Thank you very much for all of you who stayed until here. You are all the reason for me to continue writing.**

**Next chapter: Whole Again**


	43. Whole Again

**Hi there! Thank you very much for the reviews everyone and staying with me all this time. For those readers who remained a solid reader… kudos for you. I love you because of that. Thank you once again… You are my inspiration.**

**Just sharing: My dream came true two nights ago. Someone called me 'Echizen' just because I wore my Seigaku jersey that night. I was happy tee hee hee. I felt the Mrs. *ehem ehem* Echizen. Hey, hey, I can dream, can't I? I am really happy until now… tee hee hee.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Prince of Tennis.**

* * *

**johanna - tee hee hee... oo nga sa wakas... oo nga gusto ko sanang mapanoud kea lan di kaya ng oras ko... madami na kong koreanovelas na hindi ko na nasusubaybayan... Okay... anu yun at saang story?**

**yana19 - really... I am flattered... tee hee hee... thank you very much... that was worth time spending... I really appreciate it... I got that a lot- err- Chris got that a lot... and yeah... that's so brave of her... ^_^**

* * *

**Chapter 43: Whole Again**

**Chapter Summary: They rejoiced now that he had woken up and clues were becoming clearer now. They felt whole again… but she was not…**

* * *

His eyes slowly opened as he realized what Oishi had told him on the phone, "E-eiji finally woke up…"

Amber eyes followed the reaction of his cerulean eyes as he stopped tossing his tennis ball upward. He sat up from his bed and continued listening to their conversation.

'Un, the doctor is giving some tests and examinations to his body for the meantime but we can speak to him,' Oishi said. Both of them could hear what the Vice Captain was saying, 'he woke up last night and currently talking to the others.'

'Sou ka,' Fuji's eyes softened, 'I am very glad… so very glad.'

Ryoma looked at his senpai and stared at his relieved expression. He too, softened as he smiled of relief.

Fuji looked at his kouhai and smiled genuinely. The tensai talked on the phone, 'Saa… Oishi, can I talk to him?'

'Matte…' there was a commotion on the other line. Fuji and Ryoma both waited for Oishi to return. They didn't wait long as the Vice Captain returned on the phone, 'The doctor has just finished examining his body. I think we can go in now.'

'That's good then.'

Oishi was gone on the phone once again but they could sense that he went inside the room. They felt overwhelmed when they heard the weak yet familiar voice of the acrobatic player complaining about the IV therapy that was inserted to his right hand.

'But sensei… this is painful. The nurse inserted the long eww huge needle inside my vein twice.'

They could hear him whining about it.

'It's your fault, anyway. You have to suffer because of your reckless acts.' Sumire told him.

Fuji couldn't take it any longer that he spoke as well, 'You have to be good Eiji so that you can be released there as soon as possible.'

Eiji heard him on the loudspeaker and spoke a little louder, 'Fuji! I missed you!'

'Calm down, you have just woken up, take it easy.' He said.

'Un… don't worry about me. I'm okay now,' Eiji said, 'I think I can regain my strength back and I can feel it in my voice... see?'

'You still have to take extra care of yourself.' Oishi said this time.

'Oishi… you really act like my mother.'

Everyone laughed after he said that.

'Milfie-chan never left my side. I always hear her in my sleep.' Eiji continued as he looked at the blushing yet crying girl beside him.

'E-eiji-kun… please stop it,' she cried once again, 'I am sorry for everything.'

'Eiji ignored her but he patted her head telling her that it's okay, 'Ne, is Ochibi with you?'

Upon hearing that, Ryoma stared at the phone. Somehow, the way Eiji called him by his nickname felt so nostalgic. He didn't want to admit it but he kinda missed his 'Ochibi' from him.

'Aa, he's with me.' Fuji smiled as he looked at his kouhai.

'Hmmm,' Eiji thought hard as they could sense that it was what the acrobatic player was doing right now, 'I had this feeling that Ochibi sorta missing me calling him Ochibi, am I right?'

Again, that was unexpected uncalled for from the acrobatic player. Ryoma regretted not having his hat on his head at that moment. He knew that Fuji was smiling at him because he was aware that he was blushing and embarrassed. Instead, he looked away and simply retorted;

'Senpai no baka…'

'Yeah, he misses you too.' Fuji translated his 'words.'

'Fuji-senpai!' he scolded his senpai making everyone laugh at his reaction.

Ryoma crossed his hands in front of him as he looked down. He was somehow blushing… a little at least. Later on, he smiled as he finally talked;

'Welcome back, Kikumaru-senpai.'

Everyone was a bit surprised when Ryoma spoke. The people in the hospital looked at the phone Oishi was holding. Eiji was looking at it too before deciding to close his eyes and replied;

'Hn, I am back.'

'Eiji…' Fuji started.

Eiji opened his eyes and looked back at the apparatus, 'What is it?'

He was silent at first. He gripped his phone hard before saying his thoughts, 'Eiji, I know that you have just woken up but… I need to ask you something.'

Eiji was a bit shocked. He knew that the tensai would ask him 'that' sooner or later but it still brought impact to him. Closing his eyes, he replied;

'You want to know what I saw back then, correct?'

Fuji was shocked this time, he opened his eyes as he said, 'You really are my best friend.'

'Thanks nya…' He rubbed his nose making everyone sweat drop. He became serious as everyone saw him react like that, 'That night… in that building just above us, I saw a person.'

'A person?' Fuji heard Oishi on the line.

Eiji nodded, 'But I don't know if it is a boy or a girl. The person was wearing a hood and the face was barely seen because of that clothe. The night wasn't helping me for it was seconds before he pushed those different sizes of boulders to our direction.'

Ryoma was listening to what his senpai was saying as well as others who were waiting on the other line.

'But…'

Milfie who was beside him saw how Eiji gripped his hands on his lap. And then he continued;

'There was something odd with that person.'

'Something odd?' Fuji repeated his words.

Eiji looked around him as he continued talking, 'it was dark back then but my eyes can see through it… just like Ochibi.'

'What did you see then?' Sumire asked him this time.

'The person's arm has a huge scar and it didn't hide from its sleeves.'

Everyone was shocked. They could find the person with that lead now. Their chance was a bit higher than before.

'And..' Eiji continued looking at Milfie and then to their coach, '…from the sleeves, I saw a symbol.'

'A symbol?' Atobe was beginning to get suspicious now. The two data analyzers were writing the data as fast as they could.

Eiji nodded and then looked at Inui, 'Inui… May I have a piece of paper and pen please?'

Inui handed him his pen and a piece of paper. He started to draw something in the paper as he described what he saw to the other line, 'There was an average black circle and in the center there were capital letters that was engraved in red. It spelled 'IAV'.' Eiji showed everyone what he had drawn in the paper.

No one guessed what it was but they were being cautious.

'I think we should let the Kitazawa couple see the symbol.' Fuji said.

Sumire nodded, 'I think so too. It could be the real culprit. Reina-san and Reinja-san probably have an idea what could this symbol mean.'

'Well, I think we should let Eiji rest for now,' Fuji said deciding to stop the conversation, 'We are going back after a week so that Echizen here can practice before the French Open starts two weeks from now.'

'You are right,' Sumire said, 'We will be expecting to see you here soon.'

'Hai.'

'Be sure to let Sakuno know that you are leaving, okay.'

Both of them were a bit shocked when Sumire reminded them. He looked at his kouhai who was looking away when he heard that and then replied to her, 'Hai, ja.'

Fuji could still hear Eiji's voice before he ended the call. He was happy now that his best friend woke up and was able to tell them what happened that night. Then, he looked at his kouhai who was lying on his back now and was tossing the tennis ball that he was playing a while ago in the air.

"Well, what are you going to do now?" He asked him as he continued playing with it.

Ryoma just tossed the ball for a few times before he decided to stop. He looked at the ceiling as he finally decided to reply to his words, "I'll tell her that we're leaving."

"Are you sure?"

Narrowing his eyes as his concentration to everything never failed him, he said, "Hai."

Fuji stared at him and observed his kouhai's behavior. He knew what he felt. He knew that Ryoma didn't want to leave the place because the girl would be left behind here. Being the tensai and all, his kouhais were just suppressing their feelings with each other, one that couldn't express because the other was already committed. Ryoma might be silent all the time and never showed that kind of emotion before… let alone that he was oblivious of the feelings. But that was before. Somehow, he knew that Ryoma was aware of it now. Turning back on his laptop, he smiled as he began writing. _I guess it was all thanks to the blonde guy that Ryoma is making his own move to the girl now. I just hope that Ryuzaki-chan will receive a good fortune when it comes to love. She deserves happiness after all. _He sighed and thought all the possible outcomes when everything was over.

* * *

**Back in the hospital, night:**

Eiji was sleeping when everyone decided to leave the hospital. Milfie volunteered to stay overnight since she didn't have any relatives to return to. She was actually staying with everyone together with Tomoka and sometimes with Ann in the suite where Atobe prepared for them when the two girls were not having their 'dates'. Or sometimes she was staying at Sumire's residence for a couple of hours before going back to the hospital. She wanted to stay with Eiji all the time, guide him, stay with him and talk to him in his sleep… until he woke up.

Well, Eiji finally woke up.

Her role was done already.

He probably didn't need her now. She supported him for almost two months anyway and she was very thankful that he had woken up now. She felt guilty that she brought him to that state.

It was her fault in the first place anyway. No matter how they turned the situation, it was always her fault even no one blamed her. She still felt guilty about it. Now that he was awake, she didn't have a reason to stay there anymore.

She had caused him a lot of trouble already and she didn't want to trouble him more. She stood up as he stared at him. Her tears were warning to fall down but she held it, although she didn't know for how long. Giving him one last stare at his sleeping face, she bitterly smiled as she leaned closer to give him a kiss on the forehead and whispered;

"Please rest well Eiji-kun… goodbye."

She leaned back as she felt her tears finally fell on her face. A tear fell on his cheek and good thing that Eiji didn't wake up for that. Sighing, she wiped her tears away as she slowly turned around and walked to the door.

"Why are you saying goodbye?"

She stopped from her track when she heard him talk. Her heart skipped a beat as she didn't move after a few steps of walking;

"Why goodbye? Tell me Milfie-chan."

She slowly turned around to see him sitting on the bed already, looking at her, "E-eiji-kun… y-you should be sleeping."

"Answer me..." He demanded not shifting his stare from her.

Milfie became anxious at his stare. Eiji was genuinely hype and definitely not the serious type. If she was facing this kind of Eiji who was serious, she just didn't know how to react. With that thought, she looked away, "Y-you don't need me anymore."

"How can you say that?"

"You can easily regain your strength back now that you are awake. You can do better without me."

"How can you be so sure?"

Milfie looked at him, she was tired of him being serious, "Come on Eiji-kun, y-you were okay without me. You could play tennis acrobatically without me before. You can go back to your old routine without me."

"I can't go back without you anymore."

Her eyes widened when he said that. She didn't know how to reply to his words for she was also lost for her own words.

Eiji looked down as he gripped his hands on his lap, "How can you be so sure when you suddenly appeared in front of me that recognition night of Ryuzaki-chan and changed everything. How can you be so sure that I could still be the same if you leave?"

"E-eiji-kun… I didn't-"

"You're leaving… for good."

She bit her lower lip. She was intending to do that for she was still guilty of what had happened to him, "I—I still feel guilty about what happened to you—and scared at the same time," she looked down as her tears were starting to fall once again, "s-scared that you will never wake up… a-and it was all because of me."

"…"

"I—I couldn't forgive myself until now. I—I almost put you to death," she closed her eyes really hard as her tears fell again, "I-I didn't know what to do if you hadn't wake up."

Eiji didn't say anything as he listened to her sobs. Milfie assumed that he understood her. She used that chance to turn around;

"Come here."

…Only to be stopped when the acrobatic player talked once again.

She looked at him but she didn't move.

Eiji smiled and offered his hand to her, "Come closer."

"W-what are you doing?" she asked him instead. Her feet weren't cooperating with her as they were glued on the floor.

"Inviting you to come over," his smiled never left him. But when she was still not moving, Eiji became a bit irritated and started to move, "Mataku… if you don't come… I'll come to you."

That came to her senses; she panicked and ran to his side before he could leave his bed, "Mou! E-eiji-kun! Don't make it hard for me!" she retorted as she grabbed his arm, "You are just making me guiltier because of your reckless stunts!"

Eiji stared at her for a second before quickly giving her a tight hug. Milfie was totally shocked when he did that. She tried to struggle but the acrobatic player didn't let her;

"E-eiji-kun… l-let go."

"Yadda!"

"B-but-"

"Yadda! Milfie-chan, yadda!"

"E-eiji-kun, y-you are waking the other patients up." She started to panic.

"I don't care, as long as you're with me, I still don't care." Eij stubbornly said.

Milfie blushed because of that. Eiji was slowly returning back to normal. The old Eiji was coming back to her, just like how she met him.

"You don't know how much I wanted to embrace you like this," Eiji admitted but Milfie missed the blush he had on his face, "I missed you terribly."

She couldn't believe what she was hearing at that moment. Stopping from moving she said her thought, "D-didn't you hear what I said? Eiji-kun… I-I"

"I woke up now… no worries."

"You don't understand-"

"What is it that I don't understand?!" Eiji shouted a little tightening the hug he was giving, "Was it wrong to worry about your safety than mine? I… I was scared too."

She gasped when he said that. Her tears never ceased to stop as she couldn't reply to his words.

"I… don't want to lose you."

"E-eiji-kun," with that he released her keeping a short distance enough for them to breathe. Eiji wiped her tears. The girl wasn't aware about their position at that moment. She was on the bed and almost hovered by the acrobatic player, must to the latter's amusement. She looked at his eyes as hers softened, "I-I'm sorry for putting you in danger. So sorr-"

Her softened eyes became widened when Eiji's lips suddenly touched hers cutting her words in the process. She supported her one hand on the bed so that she wouldn't be pushed down there as her other hand was on his shoulder. That was the time she became aware of their position. She blushed to the fullest before, during and after the kiss they shared.

"I'll forgive you… under one condition." He said looking straight at her eyes.

"W-what is it?" she was able to reply as she stared back at him.

Eiji focused on her flushed face before replying to her, "Don't you dare say goodbye to me ever again."

Her eyes widened for the umpteenth time. She couldn't find any words to say at that moment. To her surprise, Eiji gave her a wide grin and continued;

"Because I will chase you wherever you go, you hear me."

"E-eiji-kun no baka!" she covered her mouth with her hands as her tears fell once again, "H-how can I convince you to let me go?"

The acrobatic player placed a finger to his own lips keeping his grin plastered on his face as he replied, "Never."

Without a second thought, Milfie jumped on him and she wrapped her arms to his neck as she continued to cry. She didn't have any wish to fulfill anymore. As long as Eiji was with her, she didn't care. She could do everything… just for him. She distanced herself a little as she said her next words, "I—I still need to go."

Eiji frowned, "Didn't I tell you-"

This time, it was her time to cut him off. She placed one finger to his lips as she smiled, "I need to handle my father's business in London but I'll come back. I promise."

"Promise?" he asked when she removed her finger to his lips.

She smiled at him but she didn't reply. Instead she closed the distance and kissed him this time. She wrapped her arms to his neck once again while the acrobatic player wrapped his arms to her waist. She knew that Eiji understood her. And she would never break a promise… not to the person that she loved with all her heart.

* * *

**Memphis, Tennessee: **

She was currently listening to her songs that she performed during the recreational opening months ago. When did that happen? Almost six months? It happened just recently but she felt that it was ages already since that event. Memories came rushing down her brain, from the hitting of the large ball until her solo performance that night. She witnessed the first snow of that year… with him. She couldn't forget that night when a certain tennis prodigy comforted her back then and had her almost first kiss that ended up receiving her first on his birthday.

Ryoma Echizen.

Ryoma was her first kiss.

…Her first hug.

…Her first love.

…But they were never a couple.

Probably it would never happen. She was already committed even though she was against it. She wanted to tell her parents that she didn't want an arrange marriage when she first met her fiancé Christopher Von Lloyd Kishida Finsbury. But when she got to know the boy further… he was not that bad prior to their first days of meetings.

But still, the feeling was not mutual.

She respected Chris and she didn't want him to be looked upset. She didn't want to make him sad. Somehow, she would make it her way on how to reject his offer… to be his future partner.

She was still in love with the tennis prodigy. And it was hard not to love him anymore and shifted her attention to other. She hoped that she could make it somehow.

Speaking of the two, she never received any news from them. It was almost two months but no news from them. She became worried as they never gave any hint that they were safe. What if something happened to them that she didn't know and nobody even told her? What could be the cause that they kept silent all this time? She looked down as she gripped the MP3 Ipod she was holding. She held her tears back.

She was lonely.

…And alone.

…In the room.

…In that quiet, dull room.

True, that her parents were still visiting her there to keep her company. It seemed that the culprit wasn't doing any move as of now as well. They were keeping a good job to keep her there. But she couldn't hide the fact that she wanted attention beside them.

She was longing.

…For her grandmother,

…Tomoka,

…The regulars.

…Everyone.

…Her old life.

She wanted to escape in that cage she was in. She wanted to return to her previous life as she was feeling homesick.

Yeah, she was feeling homesick at that moment.

She was tired of her life. She was not happy anymore. She didn't want to continue with the wealthy life which was not originally hers. But because of some papers, contract or whatsoever they called it that she signed, she was legally the heir of that huge, gigantic fortune that was waiting for her.

The fabric she was wearing at that moment, Lolita dress? Yeah, it came back, Reina thought that it wasn't harming her if she could become the real her during her stay in that room. She was not allowed to go out anyway. So it was okay.

She was back with her knee length white dolly gothic Lolita dress that was made in cotton. It was designed as a squared neckline, v-shaped back and cross strapped collar. The waist was adjustable emphasizing her developing curve with the thin ribbon in front.

…In short, a princess in a cage.

No freedom at all.

She was just masking her real identity. She was not a princess. She was just an ordinary girl in place of a princess, acting like a princess.

She felt more like a pierrot rather than a princess.

"I miss myself." She whispered to herself as she gripped her hands tight. The song was long over—no, she didn't realize that the power of her Ipod was already empty some time ago. She buried herself on the sheet as she gripped her hands tight there. Her tears were warning to fall as she almost shrieked when she heard her phone ring.

She jerked her head up, postponing her tears for a while. She listened to the music of her phone for a while before grabbing it to her side table and looked at the screen.

Her eyes widened when she read the name of her caller. She held her breath as she answered the call… not sure of what to say;

"…H-hello…"

Her hands were trembling as she waited for the other person to answer. She gripped her phone hard when she waited like ages. Her tears finally fell that time.

* * *

**Done! How was this chapter? Who was Sakuno's caller? Hmmm… Find that out on the next chapter.**

**Another thing: Ken Nishikori won the second round tee hee hee… hey… I am still cheering for my idols; Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Djokovic, Maria Sharapova and the Williams Sisters. It's just that Nishokori-san is the only Japanese tennis player who is active in this season… and is winning… I hope he does well in the next round just like the others… ^_^**

**Sorry for the grammar mistakes… it's inevitable… Imagine yourself staying awake after the night's work but hey, I am still dedicated to FFN that's why… I love you guys… is my effort worth it? **

**Next Chapter: Of Dandelions and Fireflies**


	44. Of Dandelions and Fireflies

**Hi… I am back with the new chapter. I will not say anything anymore; I don't want to make spoilers… tee hee hee. ENJOY!**

**I feel… nothing…**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Prince of Tennis and never will.**

* * *

**yana19 – aww thank you very much… I am glad it did…. Tee hee hee… Eiji's funny really… I understand him… and their moment did replace RyoSaku's absence.**

**Well… you will know the answer to your question… right… about… now… tee hee hee… I hope you like this…**

**johanna – okay… about sa request… me idea ako sa marriage thing pero hindi ganun… dati ko nang naisip un idea na to… di ko lan maisulat… Yaap, kasal sila pero me problem sa pagsasama nila hindi ko muna sasabihin kung anu… at… ala din si Kintarou dun… sila lang talaga at ang marriage nila… okay lan ba kung ganun ang gagawin ko… at hindi ito one-shot… tantiya ko four chapters ito… sa tingin ko… okay lan ba? Kelan ba yung b-day mu? **

**Yumi014 – Hi… okaeri! It's okay… I am glad that you are back. I am thankful that you are still here to inform me that. But it's okay… just surprise me one day. And thank you very much for supporting my stories and probably my upcoming ones as well… with that, I thank you in advance.**

**Tee hee hee… yeah… they are a cute couple all right. If this is not a serious story I'll make them a comedy duo… (Milfie is really funny in her own anime.)**

**Well, Chris is something but I'll assure you… He is really in love with Sakuno here and it's only natural for him to get jealous in a bad way… not like Ryoma when he gets jealous, that is. In the end, Chris is a strong Rival of Ryoma to Sakuno's love. He just doesn't see Milfie that way that he ends up hurting her. He just can't take the fact that his father has a daughter from a different woman. But still, his mother accepted the truth for an unknown reason. So that's it.**

**Yeah, it is. I really like that fic… and oh my, it took what… two weeks? To reply to your last message… tee tee hee… because you are right… I love the part where Sasuke kept blocking his 'stalker' on his mail for several times. That's so funny… Tee hee hee… and also the way they inserted different animes in the story tee hee… one thing is, I wanted more of Sasuke and Sakura scenes but I am quite satisfied with Shikamaru and Ino part tee hee hee.**

**Well… I'll see you soon… ^_^**

* * *

**Chapter 44: Of Dandelions and Fireflies**

**Chapter Summary: She wanted to be free. She wanted to get out from that prison-like cell. But who would save her from the darkness she was in? She wished that the door of her room would open and take her out of there.**

* * *

_To ten million fireflies_  
_I'm weird 'cause I hate goodbyes_  
_I got misty eyes as they said farewell_

_But I'll know where several are_  
_If my dreams get real bizarre_  
_'Cause I saved a few and I keep them in a jar_

_I'd like to make myself believe_  
_That planet Earth turns slowly_  
_It's hard to say that I'd rather stay_  
_Awake when I'm asleep_  
_Because my dreams are bursting at the seams_

_~ Owl City - Fireflies ~_

* * *

'Ryuzaki…'

Her heart skipped a beat when she heard _his _voice. It was been a while since she heard from _him_. And she was happy that _he_ called, 'E-echizen-kun.'

'Un.'

'Y-you're late…' She said with a hint of longing. She wiped the tears that had fallen down from her eyes and composed herself, 'I-I am glad that you called. I was worried about you—and Fuji-senpai,' She quickly added as she blushed, 'Y-you hadn't called me until now.'

'Sorry… been busy these days.' He replied.

'I—I see,' She looked down and looked at her door, 'H-how's the search?"

'It's still progressing.'

'Oh,' she only replied. She was actually running out of words to say. Ryoma was as usual, the person she knew of few words. And they had just talked;

'How have you been these weeks?' He suddenly asked her.

She blinked her eyes twice, 'I—I am fine. T-they keep me intact here, twenty-four/seven.'

'Sou ka.'

'I-it's almost been two months, huh?' she gripped her phone hard telling him that he had just called her after those intervals.

Ryoma didn't reply for that as he remained silent. Sakuno wondered about that;

"U-ummm…'

'Ryuzaki,'

'H-hai…'

'…'

'Echizen-kun?'

'Fuji-senpai and I are going back to Japan next week.'

'E-eh?'

'I am going back to prepare for the French open.'

'I—I see,' She bit her lower lip, 'Y-you called just to tell me that?'

'Un."

'G-good luck then.'

'Thanks.'

She didn't reply after that. Ryoma had just called her just to say that he was going back to Japan. She waited for him to call her all this time only to get the news that he was returning back? Everyone was really abandoning her and because of that fact, she wanted to cry again.

She really wanted to cry.

'Also…'

She was cut when Ryoma said another word.

'I want to hear your voice before we go back.'

Her eyes widened when he said that to her, 'T-then why did you call only now?'

'There were some reasons why I couldn't call you.'

'Y-you are not putting yourself in danger, are you?'

'No.'

'A-are you sure?'

'You are worrying a lot about me.'

'I-I can't help it,' she said not hiding her concern anymore, 'Y-you are doing this for my sake. I-I don't want you to do this… at all.'

'I wanted to do this,' Ryoma said on the other line, 'this only proven the fact that I am old enough to protect you.'

She was surprised at his words when he said that. It was really surprising. Ryoma really wanted to protect her… from everything. She couldn't help it but replied to his words with one disappearing word;

'R-Ryoma-ku…' she wasn't able to verbalize his name properly.

Both lines were dead as no one talked after that.

'Say it again.'

'E-eh?!'

'My name…' Ryoma said, deciding to stay quiet for a while before continuing, '…Say it again.'

Her eyes softened as she obeyed him, 'Ryoma-kun.' She felt that the person on the other line was delighted when she called his name.

'Again… Ryuzaki.'

'R-ryoma-kun.'

'Again…'

'Ryoma-kun.'

'…Once again.'

She gripped her phone as she started to tremble, 'Ryoma-kun.'

'Again.'

'Ryoma-kun… a-aitai.'

She heard the other person gasp faintly but she just told him her real feelings at that moment, 'Anata ni… aitai… Ryoma-kun,' she looked down as she couldn't hold her tears anymore, 'I—I felt lonely here. E-everyone is leaving me. I—I don't want to be alone anymore.'

'…'

'Ryoma-kun.'

No response at the other line still. She thought that the line went off as she couldn't hear anything. It was so selfish of her to request that and she felt embarrassed of her sudden outburst. She slowly put the phone down to her lap. She thought that Ryoma never wanted to see her again. He didn't reply to her when she had asked that. With that thought, she let her tears fall on her lap as she whispered something, "Gomen ne."

Not long before the door of her room opened and someone entered her room. Her eyes were shocked to see her unexpected guest.

"I will never abandon you, Ryuzaki."

With her eyes were still filled with tears, she slowly stood up and walked closer to the person, "R-ryoma-kun…" She couldn't believe that he was standing in front of her with a serious look on his face. His left hand was still holding his phone while his other hand was resting on his waist. Couldn't help herself, she raised her left hand and touched his cheek making the latter flinch a little, "Y-you really are here."

"Heh," he smirked as he too raised a hand and wiped her tears. He yanked his phone in his pocket as he spoke, "You wished for me, that's why."

She bit her lower lip when she heard that. It was true that she wished for him to be there but she didn't expect he would actually be there. He was really full of surprises. Looking down, she covered her lips with her hand while her other hand was still on his cheek, "B-baka, what took you so long?"

Ryoma's eyes softened as he slowly came closer to her and hugged her gently, "I did come, didn't I?"

She cried silently on his chest and Ryoma just let her.

"Ummm, excuse me?"

Both of them looked outside. Sakuno was shocked and blushed really hard when she saw Fuji outside with Drosselmeye who was somewhat unconscious on his seat. Fuji seemed to understand her look so he explained;

"Aozu will only be effective on him for at least two hours," Fuji looked at Ryoma and continued, "I heard from him that someone will be replacing him three hours from now too. You have less than two hours to return her here."

"Arigatou, senpai." He smirked.

Sakuno was confused at the tensai's words, "W-what is happening here?"

"I'll take you outside." He replied as he pulled her out of the room.

"E-eh?!"

Ryoma looked at Fuji once again.

"Use the back door and escape from the isolated hallway. In that area, you can get safely to your location. Be careful, call me if anything happens."

"Hai," Ryoma nodded after he listened to his senpai's instructions, "Thanks again."

Sakuno looked at him and thank him as well.

Fuji looked at them run to their escape route and thought for himself, "This is all I could do… for the star-crossed lovers like you."

* * *

**Japan at the different time zone:**

Everyone was at the Kitazawa mansion except Eiji who was still in the hospital who had woken up two days ago with Kawamura guiding him there. Milfie left for London that morning and promised to be back as soon as possible. They gathered everyone there as Reinja was currently as the mansion.

"T-this is…" the lord's eyes widened when he saw the picture that Eiji drawn to them.

"Do you know this, Reinja-san?" Sumire asked him.

"T-this can't be?" Reinja shook his head, "Are you sure this was the symbol he had seen that night?"

Tezuka nodded, "He was the one who drawn this symbol."

"What is this then?"

Reinja look at the drawing paper before looking at them, "That is the signature stamp of my older step-brother… Verloren."

Everyone in the room wide eyed when they heard that.

"Does that mean…?" Momo said eyeing the stamp that they had just discovered.

Reinja nodded, "The culprit is probably at Verloren's side."

Another round of silence engulfed the room.

"I Am Verloren," Tezuka said, "That's the meaning of these capital letters, right?"

"You are right," Reinja confirmed to everyone, "He often used this stamp during business transactions and conferences. He was a bit lazy so he created that stamp. And that became quite popular in Seele."

"Is it possible that Verloren is still alive and probably been doing all these things to us?" Oishi asked them.

"He was killed due to ambush so it was impossible," Reinja said, "We interred his body in the Kitazawa Mausoleum so it couldn't be him."

"Perhaps… someone is using his own stamp." Atobe thought hard.

"…Someone from his side?" Gakuto asked.

"…Probably." Reinja answered.

"Hey, hey! How can you be so sure that it was Verloren?" Jirou started rambling, "Oh, Reinja-sama you are so cool. How did you act so calm all this time? Verloren might leave his bloodline that we didn't know. How? Huh? Huh?"

"WE ALL KNOW THAT!" Everyone said at the same time.

"Mukahi, stop him." Atobe ordered their own acrobatic player. He mentally shook his head when he saw their own volley specialist who got excited and started rambling like that. Jirou was really something when he woke up.

"Sorry about that." Sumire announced.

Reinja shook his head, "It's nothing. He's probably right. It is close to possibility that he still left a bloodline. He was a womanizer before so probably one of them had his seed."

"That means… Michael is on our side. We need to find the heir and join forces with her." Oishi verbalize his thoughts.

"But searching for the heir is gone back to zero. Where should we start looking?" Ohtori asked them.

Reinja thought hard, "I need more information," the lord looked at the two data analysis, "Keep me updated with your data and I'll help whatever I can. The search of the missing heir depends on the new details that you will give me."

"Hai" Inui and Oshitari both nodded.

"I'll give you the remaining info about the missing heir and tell me if you find any."

"Hai." They answered once again.

"We can double our guard now that we know the real culprit," Reinja looked at them, "All we need to do is to find the real persona behind my step-brother's signature stamp."

Everyone nodded. The mystery behind Sakuno's perpetrator was cleared as they knew who was behind it. But they shouldn't let they guard down still. They knew who the young mistress should avoid to but they still didn't know whom she should avoid. Even so, Eiji's information did help them a lot to solve the mystery a lot sooner… let alone to finish this heir thingy.

* * *

**Back to Memphis:**

They successfully escaped the hotel without hassle. Fuji's accurate details helped them a lot. It seemed that the tensai had prepared everything for them for that night. He even prepared Aozu for Drosselmeye and probably for the other guards who were unconscious as they ran towards them. He took a mental note to thank the tensai for a wonderful plan.

They walked to somewhere that she didn't know. All she could think of was his hand which was holding hers and pulling her to his direction of choice. She didn't care wherever he would take her, as long as he was around everything was dull for her. Later on, she noticed the piles of trees on their way and the night was getting darker. That was the time, she was getting scared;

"R-ryoma-kun…" she gripped his hand tight as she looked around. She couldn't see anything anymore. Then, she felt his hand responded on her grip.

"It's alright, I am here," He said as he continued to lead her, "I won't let go."

She felt secured when he said that to her. She trusted him… a lot. The boy had amazing eyesight so it was really amazing of him to see their way ahead… even he closed his eyes he could still find their way out.

Not long ago, they reached a wide range of grass field. The trees were surrounded by it and there was some sort of light shown in the field. She was able to see Ryoma because of it. The field was nothing of ordinary but there was a lake further and she felt the cold chill around her. Ryoma saw this and took off his own jacket and wore it to her. Blushing she looked down and thanked the boy.

"I don't mind… if you only call me by my name privately."

She looked up once again. Ryoma was doing something to his side.

"Somehow… I feel special when you do that."

"R-ryoma-kun…" She whispered. She wanted to call him by his name. Calling him by his family name was her only thought that she could put him away from danger. Ryoma was closer to her heart and she couldn't take the risk of putting him in danger. She was still worried of his safety and the others as well. As long as she was still in danger, she couldn't breathe freely, "T-thank you for understanding me."

Ryoma turned around to face her. He was wearing his odd smile making her blush more. Her attention shifted to what he was holding. It was a white, flower like cotton. She blinked her eyes twice;

"I-isn't that…" She said reaching for the flower but Ryoma distanced it from her. She wondered why he did that.

Ryoma looked at the flower and played with it, "This dandelion is one of the reasons why I brought you here."

"E-eh?!"

He turned around to pick another one and gave it to her, "Look…" with that he blew his own dandelion and the petals were flown away from the air.

Sakuno smiled because of the wonderful movements of the petals. She mimicked what Ryoma did and blew her own dandelion. It joined Ryoma's which were playing in the air.

"It's almost time."

Sakuno looked at him when he said that but Ryoma was looking ahead of him. Frowning, she followed his direction that he was looking. Her eyes widened at what she saw. From the wide grass field, there were tiny, luminescent lights started to appear from the bottom and slowly lifting their little bodies in the air. They joined playing with the dandelions as more of them came with the air that started to blow moments ago.

"F-fireflies with dandelions?" she couldn't keep her smile any longer. She liked the view. It was totally perfect this time of year. The evening was giving life by the fireflies that were freely lighting the grass field and even the lake.

"Un." Ryoma smirked as he looked at wonderful view ahead of him… including her as he looked her way.

She walked a bit further as her genuine smile never left her. She was very happy to see the view, "I-it's very pretty," Turning around, she looked at him gave him a very happy, genuine smile, "Arigatou guzaimasu, Ryoma-kun." With that she ran to the field dropping Ryoma's jacket in the process.

She was really overwhelmed with the wonderful scene around her. She started to laugh merrily as she tried to catch some fireflies around her. A firefly landed on her palm and she stared at it.

Ryoma picked the jacket that she dropped. He looked at her enjoying the scene. His eyes softened as he continued staring at her. She looked pretty in his eyes… he hated to admit it but the dress that she was wearing suited her with the fireflies and dandelions around her. He was glad that she was smiling once again. There was a firefly appeared in front of him. He raised a hand and let it land on his palm. He smiled and whispered, "Arigatou, hotaru-san."

The glowing light that was coming from the fireflies was making the surroundings warmer and she felt at ease around it. She turned her back to Ryoma and looked above. The sky was dark but she was not scared anymore. With the dandelions and fireflies around her, it was way impossible. Then a firefly landed on her nose that made her giggle. Her nose was green because of the firefly but not long before it flew away again. She continued staring above and thought of something… of everyone.

"I… never laughed like this before… at least not for long as I even remembered," she whispered as her eyes softened and trembled for the thought, "W-why do I feel nostalgic about everything?"

Ryoma remained silent. She was saying her words not that loud enough to hear but Ryoma could.

"I… feel incomplete still," she gasped faintly when she felt tears started to fall down her face, "I… I don't like this." With that she slowly collapsed down the grass field covering her face with her hands.

Ryoma flinched when she collapsed there, "O-oi!" He walked fast to her, bent down a little and was about to touch her shoulder, "Are you alright-" his eyes widened when Sakuno grabbed his left hand that was about to touch the girl's shoulder with her both hands and brought it to her lips and kissed it.

She was blushing really hard as she continued to cry. Her hands were cold as he could feel them and they were trembling as well. She didn't let go of his hand after she kissed it, she just held it close to her.

He was really shocked on her action.

"T-this hand," she started, "this hand will never abandon me… I know."

He just looked at her. Sakuno was hurt, upset and in despair. She was crying in front of him and she didn't care anymore.

"This hand had saved me for a couple of times," she gripped it hard while she trembled, "had protected me and taught me how to stand up."

"…"

"I want to protect myself too, I want to do it with my own hands… and I know that this hand will help me," she continued saying her words, "I know because I admire him."

He flinched.

"This hand is good—no a prodigy for tennis. I knew that this hand could beat every person with a tennis ball who would harm him and… and," she looked at him this time, "… and this hand is my only message to see everyone."

His eyes widened slowly as she looked at him desperately.

Sakuno's eyes softened as her tears continued to fall. She bit her lower lip as she spoke, "I miss everyone, Ryoma-kun. I want to see Obaa-chan… I want to see my best friend…" she closed her eyes really tight as she looked down still gripping his hand with her hands, "I miss my previous life."

The wind blew freely as the dandelion petals were thrown away from the area leaving the fireflies around them. The glowing green lights that were coming from the beautiful insects were warming their location, warm for Ryoma at least.

The tennis prodigy went on his knee and placed his other hand on her shoulder, facing her completely and said, "It's okay… You'll see them."

She looked at him and was a bit shocked to see him intensely at her. She couldn't reply to his words so he continued;

"This hand you said," he responded on the grip she was giving, "this hand will make your wish come true. Just believe in it."

"R-ryoma-kun."

He gave her a genuine smile making her shock in the process, "Believe in me."

She stared at him and blushed really hard. After a series of staring, she randomly nodded and smiled back at him, "H-hai… s-shinjiteru yo."

"Good," with that he gestured her to stand up still holding his hand.

Sakuno let him stand her up. She felt a little weak after bursting up like that .It was embarrassing but the tennis prodigy found it as a neutral scene. She let go of his hand when he started wiping her tears with his bare hands. She just realized that his hands were callous and hard but she didn't care about that. It was the essence of his passion.

Tennis.

She noticed that he was not wiping her tears anymore and they were dried out. Ryoma's hands were still on her cheek cupping both sides of her face. His thump fingers were soothing her face gently. She took the courage to look at him only to find him staring at her… fondly.

Her eyes widened as blush appeared on her face. And if possible, her eyes widened even more when she saw him leaning closer to her face. Due to reflexes, she grabbed his hands on her face, removed them and looked down. She couldn't look at his eyes anymore. She didn't know that Ryoma frowned and titled his head to his left and tried to see a view of her face;

"Sakuno…"

She flinched but she didn't look up right away. Gathering enough courage, she let go of his hands first that she was holding before looking at him once again. His eyes didn't change as she left his stare. She blinked her eyes for several times as she didn't know what to do or more appropriate to say, she was panicking. She was blushing as she tilted her head as Ryoma leaned down once again and successfully touched her lips with his.

Her heart was beating really fast as their lips collided to each other. Ryoma's hand went to her neck while his other hand wrapped around her waist while her hands were clasping on his shoulder, as if gathering enough courage from them. The fireflies played with the wind that surrounded them, it emphasis their location that they were standing. The place was beautiful, romantic to see for those who were in love. Sakuno appreciated the sight. Giving one last look to the fireflies in front of them, she decided to respond to his kiss as she closed her eyes and thought;

_I want to fight. I want to stand for myself too. I just cannot sit back forever while they are protecting me. Ryoma-kun… Ryoma-kun, you are my most important person in my life aside from Obaa-chan and Tomo-chan, of course. And I love you… I love you so much. I'll do anything to protect you as you protect me from afar._

Gripping from his shirt, she felt the wind blew once again as they continued kissing while the dandelions and fireflies were the only ones witness at their sweet moments.

* * *

**Three hours later:**

They were back at their unit. He had safely returned the girl in her room without anyone noticed that she had been gone for an hour and a half. Sakuno felt good after that. The girl told him that she would be fine and would always wait for him so that they could be reunited with everyone back in Japan.

He would make that come true. He wanted to see the girl smile once again.

…Her genuine smile.

And he could only make her smile like that with that one promise he made with her. He would stay reliable to her like what she did to support him all through his matches. It was his time to return the favor. So the girl could watch him play once again.

He was cut at his reverie when the tensai appeared from the bathroom. He was still wiping his head with a towel but his signature smile never left his face;

"So how was the date?"

He looked away when he asked that but he preferred to reply, "Glowy."

He just smiled at his kouhai's answer, "Sou ka…. That was good then."

He didn't reply after that but after what he had thought a while ago, an opportunity came to him. He looked at his senpai's location and called his attention, "Fuji-senpai, do you think the culprit can follow her wherever she goes?"

Fuji looked at him and thought hard, "That is a possibility but we both know that she's safe and is strongly guarded."

"You think so?"

"Aa," he replied but smiled at him, "Why Echizen? Are you somehow worried about Ryuzaki-chan?"

Ryoma didn't deny that fact, much to the tensai's unexpected thoughts, "Sou ka."

They remained silent after that but not long before Ryoma asked another thing, while Fuji just stared at him;

"Ne, Senpai… can I ask you a favor?"

* * *

**Done! How was this chapter? It was pretty obvious that Ryoma was on the other line, right? You can actually guess from the title itself. Was this chapter compensating enough for their absence? I want to know. What is Ryoma's favor? Find that out on the next chapter.**

**If you notice that Ryoma has been calling Sakuno whether 'Sakuno' or 'Ryuzaki' during some occasions alternatively, well, he just did call her by her first name when it is necessary to do so but eventually he will call her by her first name more often so just wait for it.**

**Just for the info: Fireflies is the Tennessee state insect along with the ladybugs. They are pretty active during summer evenings. I just want to have that here since she is still in Memphis. **

**I am also into Sword Art Online these days. Do you know that anime? Tee hee hee… I just love watching it. Am not finished yet.**

**Vocab:**

**Anata ni Aitai – I want to see you.**

**Hotaru - firefly**

**Shinjiteru yo– I believe you. **

**Next Chapter: OOPPP**


	45. OOPPP

**Hi! I am back again. I think this will be the second to the last chapter of my first part of the story. The sequel will be soon but don't worry… I'll tell you when I update this once again just be sure to leave a review on my very last episode of this fic. Thanks… ^_^**

**Before you scroll down I want to say one thing; Two chapters ago, when Tezuka said about the abbreviation of IAV that spelled as 'I Am Verloren' … well umm… did it ring a bell to you? Well, I got the idea from the Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets where Tom Marvolo Riddle rambled his name using his wand and formed 'I Am Lord Voldemort' in the air. So that's it. I do not own HARRY POTTER series and never will. **

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Prince of Tennis and never will.**

* * *

**johanna – thank you… oh okay me time pa ako para magawa un… at sakto dahil Friday un… nagu-update ako every Friday… So… okay na ba ung sinabi ko sau last week about sa changes… ala dun si Kintarou ah… kung di mo feel… magrequest ka na lang ng iba… just tell me… thanks.**

* * *

**Chapter 45: OOPPP**

**Chapter Summary: They were planning something because of his favor. Despite the case that they were solving, lame introduction was being introduced. She too, was surprised about it.**

* * *

"Fuji! Ochibi!" Eiji was surprised to see them entering his room. Fuji smiled at him when he saw his best friend getting all hype up. He was still in the hospital, recuperating for the lost energy. The doctor said that he could leave the hospital three days from now after some final observations. His head was miraculously healed. The acrobatic player might see that coming so he internally avoided any serious damage that could harm his head.

That explained his will to wake up months ago and judging from his looks, he didn't look like he had an accident before.

"I see that you're okay now, Eiji." Fuji said to him as he approached his bed. He observed him for a while. He was sitting and had been reading some sort of manga before they came.

Eiji grinned at him, "I am fine. I want to leave this place as soon as possible," he pointed himself as he continued, "You don't know how awful to have been fed through your nose. I don't want to have that feeling anymore. And this IV whatever that nurse called… it's painful."

Everyone laughed at his childish antics. Fuji looked at Sumire who was quietly looking at them finally tapped his shoulder, "Eiji, the food came down from the tube which was previously inserted to your nose, down to your esophagus and then to your stomach. And you had that since you were lying unconscious."

"Even so… I still felt it," Eiji said pouting and blushed a little. He wasn't used of the scent of the hospital despite that he had been visiting some relatives and friends whenever they were admitted.

"Sensei, is he really okay now?" Fuji suddenly asked his coach. Ryoma had been watching him as well.

Sumire looked at them and then replied, "Well, he can actually leave the hospital if it isn't for his final observation," she smiled as she continued, "He's back to us although, I am not allowing him to play tennis for a while."

"Sou ka," Fuji said before Eiji could react at their coach's words. Fuji went closer to Eiji and without warning; he hit him on his head. Sumire and Ryoma were both surprised at what he did.

"S-senpai, what are you doing?" Ryoma said who decided to talk this time.

"Y-yeah, Fujiko," Eiji said holding his head that he hit, "That hurt, you know."

Fuji gave him a malicious smile when he talked, "You deserve it… for letting your guard down."

Eiji sweat dropped as he closed his eyes, "Warui na."

"But I am glad that you are with us again."

He looked at him and then to the other two, "Hn! Tadaima!"

Everyone smiled even Ryoma had one. Later on, the other regulars came to visit and were a bit surprised to see them there. Eijis' family was there a while ago but decided to go home to fix the bill of the hospital. Eiji had been staying in the hospital for too long that they accepted Atobe's financial help. The room was crowded with them.

Fuji noticed that Ryoma jabbed him to his side. He looked at him for a while, understanding his kouhai's look, he nodded and caught everyone's attention, "Minna-san… I have something to tell you."

Everyone looked at him. Oishi was the one to ask him.

"What is it, Fuji?"

Fuji looked at Ryoma once again. They nodded and looked at them at the same time, "Well… you see…"

* * *

**Thursday, May 24, Memphis:**

She was checking her mails on her phone that day. It had been five days since Fuji and Ryoma went back to Japan and they hadn't given them a single call since then. She narrowed her eyes as she stared at _his _number. She could understand him as she knew that _he _was practicing really hard.

_Ryoma-kun…_

Her thoughts were filled with him. She blushed really hard as she was thinking him and the others way back in Seigaku. She also thought of her friends at the Kitazawa mansion… and Capella.

She missed the boy.

She wanted to see the young boy as she thought that he was probably crying right now. Smiling to herself, she put her phone down. She knew that Fakir and Ahiru were taking good care of the boy. She stood up and found herself staring at her life-size mirror. She was wearing a blue colored, knee-length dress. Her hair was braided into two short pigtails. Her hair was still short compared to last year…

…Before Chris grudgingly cut her hair without mercy.

But she had forgotten about it and forgave Chris about it. She touched one of her plaits as she thought of Ryoma. He said that it would grow again like before. Then, blush appeared on her as she shook her head. _Mou… everytime I think of something… he always included to conclusions._ She touched her face which was awfully red. _He… is always included… ever since I could remember._

She went back to her bed and was about to settle when she heard a knock from her door before opening it.

Reinja and Reina appeared from the other side of the door.

"D-dad, Mom?" she blinked her eyes twice as she sat at the edge of her bed.

Reina sat beside her as Reinja stood in front of her. The former said, "We have something to tell you so listen."

She looked at her foster mother and then to her foster father who talked, "We talked, your grandmother and I this morning and thought of a decision."

Her heart was beating fast. Somehow, on whatever the news they were about to give her was something she could look up to. She waited for their news as she held her breath.

"You are going back home to Japan with us, tomorrow night."

Her eyes widened and a sudden gust of hope filled inside her. After all these months, she could see her grandmother once again as well as the others.

"But," Reinja cut in, "You are not allowed to see anyone nor leave the mansion at all cost."

…Or not.

She stared at her foster father before asking him, "W-why?"

Reinja looked at Reina for a while, when Reina nodded, he looked back at her, "You didn't know this but I have to tell you something…"

She listened to his words and that shocked her. They did hide something from her and what worst was they hide something important from her. Why would they do that? Why would Ryoma and the others keep that a secret from her? Was she not reliable enough? Of course, she would weep and blame herself for that, but that didn't mean that she wasn't able to help them. At least gave him some encouragement to live. Tears were streaming down her face after that. She barely touched them as she looked at her foster parents;

"I—I don't want to be a burden to everyone. I don't want them to put their lives in danger because of me," she gripped her hands tight, "I want to help them solve this case too… I am the culprit wants anyway."

Reina looked at her and hugged her comfortably, "If you want to help them, then you know what to do."

She buried her face to her mother's shoulder as she said her last words of that day;

"Stay safe for them."

* * *

**Night:**

Sleep was against her that night. True, that she was going home but she was not allowed to see everyone. Like in Memphis, she would be locked up in her own room in the mansion, only her personal maids and knights were only allowed to see her. Well, she could still see Capella if opportunity came. Ahiru was her personal maid and Fakir was still one of her bodyguards… so was not feeling alone… at least not in that large mansion that she now called home. She kept turning to her sides for several times but it was really impossible. Her phone suddenly rang making her flinch in the process. Grabbing it immediately, she looked at the caller and was a bit surprised to see who it was;

'R-ryoma-kun!' she called as long as she pushed the call button, 'I—I am glad that you called.'

'Un,' he replied as short as that, 'I just want to check up on you.'

She smiled even though she couldn't see him. Despite the blush that she was wearing right now, she couldn't hide her worries to a certain someone, 'Ryoma-kun… why didn't you tell me?'

'Tell you what?'

Gripping her phone hard, she had a hard time saying her next words, 'a-about Kikumaru-senpai's… accident…?'

'…'

'…'

'…'

'Why… did you hide it from me?'

'…'

'Ryoma-kun?'

'We didn't want you to worry.'

'But… you could at least tell me about it.'

'Then you blame yourself after that?'

She blinked her eyes twice but she couldn't say her words.

'That's why we didn't tell you. We didn't want you to worry,' he repeated, 'I didn't want you to worry.'

She bit her lower lip, 'H-how's Kikumaru-senpai?'

Before Ryoma could speak, someone talked for him making her gasp in the process;

'RYUZAKI-CHAN! HOW ARE YOU? NYA!'

'K-kikumaru-senpai!' she panicked when she heard the acrobatic player's voice. Her blush never left her, 'B-e careful… I… I just heard that you got out from the hospital.'

'No worries, okay. I am perfectly fine. I can practice with my stunts anytime now.' Eiji said from the other line.

Sakuno heard some hitting after Eiji said that and was overwhelmed to recognize who that voice was;

'Baka! I told you. I forbid you to play!' Seigaku's coach scolded the acrobatic player, 'What are you doing here in the morning anyway?'

'Ahh, but sensei, you can at least let me watch them play.' Eiji insisted.

'Behave, Eiji,' Sumire said, 'Oishi forbid him from holding a racket,' she went near the phone when she heard her laugh, 'Sakuno dear, how are you?'

'Obaa-chan, hai… I am doing fine. I am glad that Kikumaru-senpai is okay. I bet Milfie-chan never left his side.' Sakuno teased.

'You are right, he's blushing right now.' Sumire laughed when Eiji retorted a little… not leaving a blush from him and teases from the other regulars, 'Don't worry about him okay. Everything's fine now.'

After talking to her grandmother, she felt a little relieved. But felt sad before she said her words, 'I am going back as you said… but I am not going to see you for a while.'

'Sakuno dear, it is temporarily. We will see each other soon.' Sumire assured her.

'Hai… I know.' She smiled after that. Knowing that it was only temporarily, she knew that she could meet everyone again and that was enough for her.

'Saa… sensei, I think we should practice now.' Fuji answered on the line, 'Ryuzaki-chan, we will see you soon.'

Somehow, the tensai's words had different meanings to her ears but she nodded still, 'Hai… mata ne.'

She waited for the next person to talk and she didn't wait for long. She talked to the other regulars as they all missed her and her cheering. Talking to her best friend was really dramatic for her before Horio had taken her away from the phone. She giggled when she heard Ryoma's arguing with Momo about the expenses of his phone bill. They were calling overseas anyway and the former forced his senpai to pay it for him, so much for being tricky. She did talk to Momoshiro after that as he began teasing her and the young tennis prodigy once again. In the end, Ryoma stole the phone from him as she heard Momo from the background about it.

'Ne,'

'H-hai?'

'I have one instruction for you to do when you arrive at the Narita airport tomorrow morning.'

'E-eh?!"

'Turn to your left when you went out from the arrival area.'

'W-what do you mean by that?'

'Just do it, ja.'

'R-ryoma-kun… matte!' she sighed as the boy dropped the call. He was up to something. Could he be there at the airport that day? Probably he was. But why would he be there? As if she was allowed to see him there. Still, smile crept to her face when she thought about seeing him at the airport when she arrived back to Japan. Seeing him was enough for her.

Ryoma was trying to find ways to see her even for the last time… until the case was solved and she was safe again. With that resolve… she knew that she could wait.

And this time, she was able to sleep without hassle but to be filled with a new hope in her heart.

* * *

**Friday at the same time, Morning:**

He ended the call after that. Sighing, he put his phone back in his pocket.

"That was a close call."

He looked at his side to see Fuji and Sumire walked to his direction. He pinned his hat down when they reached him.

"Now that Sakuno is back in Japan, we need to pay extra careful." Sumire said, "It's good that you convince them to let Sakuno stay here."

Fuji smiled at his coach and then talked, "Actually sensei, I only did a favor; it was Echizen's idea to convince them."

Upon hearing that, Ryoma looked at him, not missing to blush a little, "Fuji-senpai!" Only to narrow his eyes when the coach patted his head with his hat still on;

"There, there, my boy. No need to be shy. I know that you are really worried about my granddaughter that you cannot look out to her when she's abroad. But I thank you for that."

Ryoma secretly grunted as he thought. _ Stupid senpai, I told him to keep it a secret. _He pinned his hat down even more when Sumire let go of his head. He didn't have any retort word for she was right after all.

"Let's get back to practice. You still have a French open tournament to win to." Sumire announced.

Ryoma smirked at her words and replied, "Hai."

* * *

**After practice:**

Eiji was watching them practice the entire time, feeling all the jealousy in the world. Oishi had been guarding him not to hold any racket or he would be tasting Inui's juice. He was sitting—no squatting on top of the bench with his hands on his knees… having all the gloomy look on his face;

"Stupid rules, why is it that I am not allowed to play? I am okay already." He whispered but Tezuka heard him. He hit him lightly on the head and said;

"You let your guard down, that is why."

"But Tezuka… I only saved a life."

"Your love, we all know that." Fuji said approaching the already blushing acrobatic player.

"But anyone could do that, like Ochibi for instance," He pointed the youngest regular member of the team who was still rallying on the wall, "I know that he would save Ryuzaki-chan without hesitation."

When heard, Ryoma caught the ball with his racket and looked at him, "What do you mean by that?"

"When things are in pinch, you will not hesitate to dive yourself in and push her out from the danger zone, right?" Eiji explained while looking at him, "That's what you do, when the person you love is in danger."

Ryoma looked away as he pinned his hat lower.

Stupid senpai for making him blush like that.

"Eiji!" Oishi said as he approached them who heard everything he said, "Stop bringing thoughts to Echizen like that. He has the ability to remember things."

"But I am right. I had experienced about it. I have proven this thing that no matter how you see things over, you still act before you give thoughts about it. Besides," Eiji said and then grinned at his doubles partner, "I am yet to promise that I shall find you a girl, remember?"

Oishi started to blush when he heard that from him. He walked near him and yelled a little at him, "S-s-stop saying such embarrassing things, will you?"

Eiji just laughed at him, ignoring Oishi reprimanding words. Later on, the others approached them when they noticed that they were having fun.

"That reminds me, Echizen," Sumire looked at him before continuing, "What were you talking about with Sakuno a while ago?"

He looked at her before saying his words, "I gave her the first hint for tomorrow morning."

"Tomorrow morning?" The coach blinked, "You mean her arrival?"

Ryoma nodded, "We all know that she's not allowed to see us once she step foot at the Narita airport."

Eiji was enlightened when he remembered what they had discussed almost a week ago, "Ah! The OOPPP!"

"OOPPP?" Momo asked frowning at him.

"Saa… that's settled then," Fuji said when Eiji didn't notice Momo's question, "I actually asked someone's help other than us."

"Really?" Oishi said, "Who could that be?"

"It's them." Fuji corrected him.

"A team perhaps?" Inui said this time.

Fuji nodded, "Before you could ask that team, a member will be calling you any time soon, Momo."

"Eh?!" Momo said as he pointed himself, "M-me?"

"Aa… Wait for that person's instructions tomorrow." Fuji said as he smiled at him.

Sumire just looked at them. She was overwhelming at her team right now. Tezuka tapped her shoulder and asked;

"Are you prepared, sensei?"

She gave him a smile before replying, "Aa, thank you very much."

"OOPPP just like Eiji suggested to name this mission, should work at all cost." Inui said as he wrote something in his notebook.

"Pardon me senpai but I think I missed that," Momo said, "What is OOPPP?"

"You are not listening senpai," Ryoma said as he drank his ponta, "Where is your mind when we talked about this?" He retorted. Actually, his brows twitched when he heard the name of their upcoming mission. He thought that it was somewhat lame but he didn't say it just to avoid Eiji getting upset.

"Well, tell me already!" Momo said nearing his face to Ryoma.

Ryoma pulled his face away from him, "Stay away from me, senpai. Why don't you ask the others?"

Momo didn't have to ask the others as Eiji stood up in front of them and proudly said;

"Operation Opportunity Plan Project Presentation!" he pointed his index finger in the air and said, "Get ready for the mission for tomorrow!"

Everyone sweat dropped as they heard what Eiji said. There was no doubt. The acrobatic player was back in action… minus tennis. But they were happy about it.

"That's… OOPPP?" Momo whispered to Ryoma who just nodded while eyes closed, "T-that's lame… and where is the presentation on that mission?"

Ryoma whispered back, "Beats me and don't you ever tell him that."

"Right." He nodded.

"Everything is settled," Fuji said getting their attention, "All we need is for tomorrow to come."

Everyone nodded as they had one goal for that day. And that is to complete the mission without any sign of failure.

* * *

**Later on, Kitazawa mansion, night:**

He gripped his hands tight. Staring at his own bed where the maid was hopelessly lying there, he actually felt useless. Her master did it again… without him around. It felt like he was doing it on purpose. He needed to take action as soon as possible before something worse could happen to the poor lady.

He didn't have the right to oppose her master for a while because if he would take action, the maid's life would be in danger. Like what she said, she owed him her life. From what he remembered, he gave her shelter and continued living but she didn't know that there was a payment for that.

…To serve him until he was satisfied.

Well, he was not satisfied because he couldn't get her all the way. The maid still had a trump card that her master was trying to search. She was just happened to be Lady Ouka's trusted friend and her master couldn't touch her until she told him her whereabouts but in return she agreed to take the beatings and harassments to keep Capella's safety in return.

Her life was complicated and it started with a simple deal.

He sat down at the edge of the bed and fixed the blanket to cover her whole body. Staring at her weary face, his eyes softened as he leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips. He flinched a little when he saw her staring at him as he leaned back.

"F-fakir-san." She said weakly despite the blush.

"I see you're awake." He said tugging some hair strands to her ear.

She was about to sit but he stopped her.

"You should recover," he said, "The Mistress will be returning soon to us."

"H-hai." She said as she lied back on the bed once again. But she panicked when Fakir removed the blanket and started unbuttoning her shirt, "F-fakir-san."

"Shhh," He said, "I know that you are not ready and this is not the right. Arima, I want you to forget his touch and remember mine." He said at her flushed face as he gently doing his thing.

He smirked when he saw her closed her eyes and let him 'heal' her. It was not long before his phone rang making him stop from what he was doing.

"F-fakir-san… y-your phone," Ahiru weakly said.

He secretly grunted as he removed his hand from hers and grabbed his phone. He wanted to curse of whoever ruined their sacred moment but he remained calm when he answered it;

'Moshi, moshi.'

'Konbanwa, Fakir-san.'

Fakir blinked his eyes twice and forgot all his bad mood for a while, 'Fuji-san… y-you called.'

'Aa… did I disturb you at something?' Fuji teased.

He looked at the maid who was weakly smiling at him and said, 'Ie, do you need of something?'

Silence welcomed both lines before Fuji decided to break it.

'Fakir-san… we need your help actually.'

Upon hearing that, he gripped his hold on his phone. He knew that the tensai's asking for his help was something big that he could not turn back down.

* * *

**Done! How was this chapter? Another team will be helping Seigaku with their mission… can you guess what team that is? Find that out in the next chapter. Next chapter will be the last chapter for this story. The sequel will be out in one or two months from now. A new fic or rather to say an omake will take place after this. **

**So please tell me your thoughts… if you leave a review on the last chapter that will be my guideline of the readers of my C.T to you an update for the sequel… so even just a word is enough for me… Thank you very much.**

**Just sharing: There are times during work that when a student told me that he/she was tired or sick… I told to myself… '**_**bakit ka pa pumasok… umabsent ka na lang sana**_**' tee hee hee… it's sometimes annoying when you don't like them to be present they will be. Haha… I am bad teacher! Bad teacher! But I still love **_**some**_** of them… tee hee hee…**

**Last Chapter: Last Two Minutes**

* * *

**Acknowledgement:**

**For the very last time, let me thank all of the readers who stayed with me during the confusion, sad, happy, angst and complicated things or call whatever you call it all the time. Thank you very much. Without you, I wouldn't be here in the first place. Kudos to you. ! ! !**

…_**Yumi014…**_

…_**rodalyngie…**_

…_**Birdofdarkness…**_

…_**DearestELFriend…**_

…**RikuDai…**

…**Mayu-chan…**

…_**yukina-chan15…**_

…**animecouplelover…**

…**Lyfa…**

…**Sapphire122…**

…**Ryosaku12…**

…_**JC-zala…**_

…**Echizaki…**

…**ulquihime7890…**

…**LittleOrangeIsHere/LittleCatGotDumped…**

…**Animew3…**

…**Enma20…**

…_**Neko Kyuketsuki HyuugaUchiha…**_

…**AmaririsuHiganbana…**

…**Hinate…**

…**f0r3vaH.y0urS.88…**

…_**michelle88222…**_

…**Anonymous13…**

…**Zepriyds…**

…_**Slam'in Burst…**_

…_**Yana19…**_

…**Anon…**

…_**johanna…**_

…_**SaKuRiMoOn…**_

…**rucHicHan…**

…**Ryosaku90…**

…**Hitsuzen Nakagauchi…**

…**sakuno echizen1…**

…**MickeymouseMinniemouse…**

…**krisaku…**

…**alleesor25…**

…**crazilydesigned…**

…**megingjoro…**

…**Kikumarucat…**

…**OneLessLonelyGirlRevie…**

…**Natascha-chan…**

…**Ayuma-chan…**

…**Guests…**

**One again… thank you to all of you. Tell me if I made a mistake about your names for I only wrote them all over again. The effort was I scrolled the chapter reviews from 1 to 44 and wrote your names on a piece of paper so tell me if I made a mistake. Thank you once again.**

**Legend: Names in **_**italic**_** are the readers who almost reviewed all of the chapters and gave inspiring words to me. I appreciate their efforts of visiting my stories every week and didn't mind to leave a single review on every chapter. If not, their words are worth inspiring not just on review page but also in PMs. **

**Thank you once again.**

**With the final chapter next week, it will be longer. I will be writing plot of the scenes and the mysteries behind Sakuno's perpetrator and their profile. So wait until then. (That is the reason why I did my acknowledgement here.)**

**Mata Raishuu! ! !**


	46. Last Two Minutes

**Hi… I am back and sad to say… this is the last chapter of my first story of Crystal Teardrops but the plot is not finished yet. I'll leave you to something hopeful and I did hope that it will satisfy you. C.T will be coming back with a sequel in less than two months. So for the last time, review and I'll inform you with the return of the story whether it will be early or not. For the last time, I hope you will enjoy this final installment of the first story.**

**Just Sharing; for KUROSHITSUJI or BLACK BUTLER avid fans out there… I am not sure if you heard about this but I still want to share it… I am currently reading the manga and found out that the anime-slash-manga is having a LIVE-ACTION MOVIE some time in 2014. They started filming it last April 2013 and Sebastian Michaelis is Hiro Mizushima. But Ciel Phantomhive will not appear… sigh… they will be replacing him with another child named Shiori Ganpo, a girl who has an eye patch like Ciel and she looks like Ciel. Shiori is also a descendant of Phantomhive so connect the dots guys… I don't know if this is going to be interesting but I think it will… I'll just imagine that Shiori is really Ciel. I'll definitely have a copy of that movie and see it for myself in 2014… Yey… ^_^**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own TeniPuri. Got it?**

* * *

**_johanna_ – salamat… Expect the first chapter next Friday. This will be a multi-chaptered series and like Cherry Valentines I am not sure about the updates. Mas maikli ang fic na to kesa sa Cherry Valentines. I am not supposed to make it yet but since your request is kinda similar to my ideas, I better share it right away. Since it's your birthday, consider this how Vic Sotto celebrates his birthday in his noon time show, 'Eat Bulaga' matagalan tee hee hee… So I hope you'll enjoy it…**

**_yana19_ – chapter 44: Hi… wow I never realized that. I am glad that you considered this chapter as a 'birthday gift' despite that I was not aware of it… tee hee hee… I am glad that you are not disappointed with the outcome. ^_^**

**They were together in a romantic place and it was all thanks to Fuji who did it all. Ryoma was becoming romantic tee hee hee… and that was a challenge for him. Sakuno did tell him her feelings at how she missed the guy. ^_^**

**Chapter 45: tee hee hee… Everyone loves Ryoma… poor Sakuno ;p But they are good with each other though… You are right… even though he's very busy; he never missed a second to ask a favor from his senpai**

**Eiji really missed playing the game like he was back in the court… like he didn't suffer from an accident. Well, what do you expect from an acrobatic player? Thus… lame… err… name the operation was the only thing he could do to help the group. **

**This fic will be on hiatus for a while and will be back with more actions, dramas and More RyoSaku moments in the future. Thank you for that one… and thank you for reading… ^_^**

**My other replies: Really, you don't know how you made me smile when I read your reviews in my different fics and one shots; I am going to reply your reviews on my one-shots and completed while the others are being replied for the upcoming updates… ^_^**

**_Miesjes Plagen, Kusjes Vragen_ – tee hee hee, you are right… Teasing means love, that's what the title means. Sakuno is the only one who can receive that… tee hee hee… it's all thanks to Fuji who had the idea… well he is the tensai after all. Tee hee hee… It's okay… I'll do that myself too… ^_^**

**_Test Beyond Bonds_ – Waaahh… when I read your review, I panicked because I really don't know. I was too embarrassed when making this that my friend who forced me to do this helped me. I was forced to or else I won't be able to see my Ryoma plushie ever again… (I have it and still) I am glad that it is not really what others think. Tee hee hee… maybe I can but not like this… I think… ^_^**

**_The Invitation_ – tee hee hee… Yeah… poor Horio, blame it to Ryoma alright… with his jealousy and stuff. Hurray for Tezuka with his own way to have 'fun' ;p I also like that part especially when I was writing it… thank you very much… ^_^**

**_He's Not Just your Average Guy_ – He is indeed to the rescue. Other guys should beware of him for they would never like what he would do if they tried to touch his 'property'. Tee hee hee… and you are right, because of that… it's the start of a new beginning. ^_^**

**Thank you very much for the reviews. You really made my day… and thank you for supporting my stories… I really appreciate it… Happy Birthday to you my friend… Love lots… ^_^ **

**_Guest_ – tee hee hee… I am glad that you like my Cherry Valentines fic. I will update that fic soon… wait for it thanks very much… ^_^**

* * *

**Final Chapter: Last Two Minutes**

**Chapter Summary: He was full of surprises… no everyone had full of surprises and it was all thanks to him.**

* * *

Setting her feet at the Narita Airport, she finally felt at home as she breathed the air around her. Despite that her guards were surrounding her for protection; her parents were still there to guide her. Even they didn't announce her arrival to the airport, a lot of reporters came approaching her and asked some questions like 'Where have you been?', 'Why did you disappear?', and 'What did you do in a different country?' and all stuff like that. She felt relieved that no one revealed the real reason of her escaping to the other countries. They still believed that they were no controversial about her life and she was still safe to walk around. She didn't know how her parents hid the secrets privately and importantly. After, she was being pulled away from the reporters; Reinja whispered something at her;

"Sakuno, we need to go ahead. We have some business meetings to attend to but it was pretty short so we will see you in one hour."

"H-hai…" She said and nodded at the same time. Then her parents left her to her bodyguards in the lead of Drosselmeye. Meyers didn't go back to Tennessee after his injury and decided to stay at the mansion to recover. They hadn't been away for long from the arrival area when she remembered something;

'_Turn to your left when you went out from the arrival area.'_

She remembered his words back then. It was what Ryoma had reminded her to do once she got out from the arrival area. And she did… only to be surprised. Her eyes were slowly widened when she saw familiar figures from the crowd.

She wanted to call them as they were staring back at her… smiling at her. But it she did that, her bodyguards would notice. She was strictly reminded never to see her friends as long as her life was in danger. It was best for them and for her. Not planning to get attention, she looked down as she continued to walk. Her bodyguards were following her while Drosselmeye was at her side, protecting her.

"This is the airport and people go here to depart or to arrive. They told me I can see her here but what if I couldn't see her here…"

She looked up when she saw someone _rambling _in front of them. Her eyes widened, as she saw a tall blue-haired teenager walking back and forth in front of them. They followed _his _every move as he began rambling about something;

"This is the arrival area and I know that she's here now but what if I missed her arrival? What would I do? What would I tell them? They gonna kill me? No, wait—if they are going to kill me, they will go to jail. So killing me is impossible…"

Everyone sweat dropped as Sakuno secretly thought something as she too sweat dropped as well.

_I-ibu-san is really panicky, he never changed._

"Hey! You!" Drosselmeye pointed at him, "Get out of our way! Can't you see that you are blocking our way?"

Ibu Shinji looked at him and then looked around him, "But I need to look for someone. If I leave her, she will not be able to find me but how will I know if she's still here or not," he looked at her, "What about you miss, have you seen her? If you have seen her please tell her that they are waiting for her at 'their favorite place one can remember'. "

Her eyes widened as realized what he had said to her. He was giving her a message, she looked at the place where she saw someone familiar a while ago but she couldn't see _them_ there anymore.

"They will kill me for this—wait, I remembered that it's a crime to kill someone. They will definitely go to jail… what if I…"

"Ibu, so there you are!" a voice from behind the rambling guy talked, "We've been looking for you."

"Sakurai-san, I can't find her."

"It's okay. Let's go." Sakurai looked at them before bowing, "I am sorry for the interruptions."

"What's that?" Ibu suddenly pointed to one of the bodyguards. The guard who was wondering looked at his side and was a bit surprised. There was a little boy yanking something at his pocket. He grinned at him before running away from him. The guard quickly retorted;

"Hey, get back here!" he said chasing the little boy.

"Idiots! You call yourself guards but you can't keep your guard like that!" Drosselmeye looking at them, "Spread all over and help your comrades. You! Stay beside the mistress!"

"Hai!" They said in unison.

Sakuno on the meantime was a bit busy looking at the little commotion at the airport but she sensed that someone was staring at her. She looked at Ibu and Sakurai who both nodded. She gave them an apologetic look before telling them thanks afterwards. They walked away after that. She breathed really hard before trying her luck.

"U-umm… Drosselmeye-san, I—I need to go the bathroom."

Drosselmeye looked at her, "Can't you wait until we get back to the mansion, mistress?"

"B-but the ride from home is way too long," She looked down as she blushed, "I don't think that I can hold it any longer."

Drosselmeye was about to protest when his phone suddenly rang. He talked on the phone for a while and seemed to be having a hard time. Sakuno watched him until he finished talking on the phone, "Its Reinja-dono. He needs me to catch up with them and leave you to my trusted guards. But I just can't leave you to them."

Sakuno's luck seemed to be on her side. She felt excited when she heard that and more excited when he said his next words.

"Well, I think Fakir is on the way, Well, mistress you go to the restroom now as I escort you there," He said but continued quickly, "And don't leave until Fakir arrives, okay."

"H-hai."

They went as planned. She went to the restroom and made a phone call. She called the person that she saw a while ago. It didn't last for three rings until the person answered;

"Hi, Ryuzaki-san! How are you?"

She felt nostalgic when she heard the voice, "K-kawamura-senpai. I-it's good to hear from you."

Kawamura chuckled and replied earnestly, "Likewise, we miss you too, you know."

"H-hai," She wanted to cry at that moment, "I-is… Kaidoh-senpai with you?"

"Un, he's here," He said as she heard him calling the viper, "Here's Kaidoh, Ryuzaki-san."

"Fssh…"

She giggled at his signature 'word', "I-I am also glad to hear from you too… Kawamura-senpai… Kaidoh-senpai. Thank you for seeing me today."

"You haven't seen everyone yet."

"E-eh?!"

"When you go outside, go to the first person that you see. That person will take you somewhere."

"B-but w-what about my bodyguards?"

"Shinpai nai, Ryuzaki-san," Kawamura said, "Everything is under control."

"Just be careful." Kaidoh later said.

She nodded as she gripped her phone hard, "Arigatou senpai-tachi."

"Go now, the person is probably waiting for you outside. We only have thirty minutes to do this."

"Hai." With that she quickly ended the call and walked outside the bathroom. She was a bit surprised to see Fakir and Ahiru outside. She smiled as she ran to her personal maid and hugged her, "A-ahiru-chan! I miss you a lot!"

Ahiru blushed as she was being hugged by her. She tapped her back, "M-me too, mistress… welcome back."

She looked at her and noticed something, "Y-you are becoming prettier than before," she looked at Fakir and then continued, "Perhaps an inspiration is making you pretty?"

Ahiru blushed, "M-mistress… I-it's not like that."

Sakuno was about to tease her more when fakir intently coughed to catch their attention;

"We should be going now."

Two girls looked at each other before facing him back and nodded. They followed Fakir and the other bodyguards who were behind them.

* * *

**Later on:**

They walked to the limousine and were on their way home. The bodyguard who was at the front seat ignited the engine but it wouldn't start. He tried igniting it once again but it was the same. Fakir frowned and leaned at his back;

"What happened?"

"It doesn't start, sire."

"What?" Sakuno and Ahiru both reacted. While Fakir remained silent until later;

"Check it outside." He ordered the guard who obliged. The guard went outside and lifted the hood at the front. After several minutes, he walked back to the rear window and announced something;

"A cable for ignition has been cut for an unknown reason,sire." He said.

"What?!" Fakir reacted this time, "Why didn't you check it."

The guard just looked at him as he scratched his own head. Minutes later, another guard approached them, "S-sire, we have another problem. The tire at the back is flat."

"What are you guys doing?" Fakir said scolding them as they sincerely apologized at him. He ordered the two girls to go outside first so that they could solve the problem, "We will delay our ride back home."

Sakuno watched them fix the car. From the corner of her eye, she noticed something. She looked to her only to be surprised. Inui, Oishi and Fudomine's Kyousuke Uchimura were hiding at the corner while the former was holding a pair of pliers and was waving it in the air. Later on, a child that they saw earlier who stole something from one of her bodyguards approached them. Uchimura gave the child something that she thought was money and then ran off afterwards. A smile crept to her face when she saw them there. She wanted to call them but she was afraid to do so.

She was not really safe at that moment.

Then, she saw Oishi writing something on his phone and watched her. Her phone vibrated after that. Looking back at their location, she saw Oishi pointing at his own phone as he smiled. The volley specialist was telling her to see her phone which she did. As expected, Oishi had sent her a message. She read it and was surprised at what she had read there;

'Are you ready to see your grandmother in thirty minutes?'

She wanted to cry when she read his message. Ahiru suddenly touched her hand making her to look at her, "We're here, mistress."

She looked at her and then to her hiding senpais. She gave them an assurance as she smiled. Looking back at the guards who were fixing the car, she walked closer to them, "U-ummm… can I… can I walk for a bit?"

The guards who were fixing the car gave her a doubting expression. Before they could protest, Fakir covered for her, "Our mistress is bored. I'll take her just around the vicinity. We will be back after thirty minutes."

They nodded affirmatively.

"Make sure you'll finish that before we come back."

"Hai!"

With that they slowly walked away from the car and didn't waste time. They started to run when they weren't at their sight anymore. She gave thanks to the three as they passed their way. The three were really happy seeing her smile like that. Still, Sakuno who was very shocked couldn't take her curiosity anymore and asked them;

"F-fakir-san, Ahiru-chan, what is really happening?"

Ahiru answered her, "It's like what Oishi-san texted you; we are giving you this opportunity to see your grandmother… even only for a short time."

Her eyes widened, "W-why are all doing this? I… I…"

Fakir cut her this time, "From my source mistress, someone has promised you to make your wish come true," He saw her flinch meaning that she understood him, he then continued, "All you have to do is believe in him."

She blushed when she realized what he was saying. Everything was all clear now. Everything was happening because of him… because he promised her… that night… that memorable night with the dandelions and fireflies were only their witness. Thinking about it, she hadn't seen him for a while. She thought that she would be seeing him once she got out from the arrival area only to be welcomed by Kawamura and Kaidoh.

"Hey!"

She was cut from her reverie when someone talked. Looking ahead, she saw another member from Fudomine.

"K-kamio-san," She said when they approached the Vice Captain of Fudomine. She noticed that he was not with his bike but decided not to ask him.

"Yo, Ryuzaki's granddaughter," he said as he eyed her, "You are actually a big timer now."

She looked down as she blushed. She knew what he was talking about. Well, she became an instant rich lady and Japan knew that already. No wonder why someone or some had been targeting her.

"Well, let's get going now, Inui-san only calculates thirty minutes before they can fix the problem." Kamio said, "You are pretty lucky because Seigaku is near from here." With that she nodded as she followed him. Fakir and Ahiru followed suit as well.

"We could only leave for thirty minutes; do you think that she could make it?" Ahiru asked Kamio after a while. Sakuno was nervous to know that answer from him.

"Well, we need to move fast so that she can reach her destination." Kamio only said.

**xxx**

It's been ten minutes since they walked-ran on the road until they reached their next destination. Kamio gestured them to the park and entered it. Sakuno looked around it and she felt nostalgic. She remembered how often she went to this park just to play with her friends. Everything was worth memorable to her.

"Sakuno-onee-chan!"

Hearing the voice, she quickly looked at the direction. Her eyes widened when she saw the young boy ran to her direction with a wide smile on his face. She bent down and opened her arms to welcome him, "C-capella-kun!"

The young boy reached her and hugged her tightly. And instantly, he burst out crying at her shirt, "Nee-chan! What took you so long! I miss you so badly!"

Sakuno shed tears as well. She hugged the little boy back and she replied to him, "Gomen ne, Capella-kun. But nee-chan is back now… We can be together from now on."

"R-really?" he distanced himself a little and hopefully looked at her.

"Really." She gave him a wide a smile this time.

"It's good that you are smiling once again, Ryuzaki-chan."

She looked at the person who last talked. This time, she smiled at him genuinely as she stood up holding the little boy in her hands, "H-hai… it's good to be back… F-fuji-senpai."

Fuji smiled back at her and nodded. She knew that the tensai helped her a lot, from the photography up until now. It was all thanks to him that she could face Ryoma with courage that time when she first left Seigaku. Thinking of the youngest regular tennis player, she looked at him and was about to ask his whereabouts but someone stopped her from doing so.

"Ryuzaki-chan! I miss you, nya!"

"E-eiji-senpai!" She was shocked as she blushed at the same time. Eiji was hugging her from behind. It was his natural greeting that he always did to his teammates and he was doing it to her.

While Eiji was showing comfort to Sakuno, Fuji looked at Fakir and smiled at him;

"Thank you the help, Fakir-san."

Fakir nodded at him, "I'll do anything for the sake of the mistress."

He smiled once again. Eiji let go of Sakuno when he had enough and faced her with a smile;

"I see that you are doing well-" he was not able to finish his words when she threw herself back to him this time, hugging him due to relief, "R-ryuzaki-chan?" he blushed a little.

"Yokatta," started as she leaned her head to his shoulder, "I am glad that you are safe."

They looked at them as Eiji smiled and tapped her head. The rest smiled at the scene. Later on, blush appeared on her as she realized what she had been doing. She quickly pulled away from him and apologized, bowing in the process. Eiji sweat dropped as he smiled and said that it's nothing.

**xxx**

Five minutes have passed and they went to a certain place. It was actually someone's house. Sakuno looked at the house and it was foreign for her. She was about to ask Fuji when someone appeared from the door.

"Ryuzaki-chan! Minna! I am glad that you are here!"

Her eyes widened when she saw the person walking towards them, "M-momo-chan-senpai!"

Momo had finally approached them and stared at her, "Yo, it's been a while."

Sakuno nodded and then looked at his back, "S-senpai… this house…"

"Hmm," Momo looked back and the continued, "Ah… it's our friend's house."

"Who?" She wondered. Unknown to her, people around were snickering as they looked at each other. Before Momo could answer, one of residents at the pointed house appeared, earning a wide-eye reaction from her.

"Hi, Sakuno-chan! How are you?"

Sakuno looked at the person, "A-ann-chan?"

"Yours truly," Ann chuckled as she held both of her hands. Then other people appeared behind her making her shock in the process.

"T-tomo-chan! Horio-kun!" She didn't waste time as she both hugged the couple. Tomoka smiled while Horio blushed, "I miss you both."

"We know Sakuno," Tomoka tapped her giving more comfort, "I miss you badly as well, you stupid girl." She was really closed to tears. All of her inward tantrums had gone the moment she saw her best friend once again.

Tomoka remained speechless but he tapped her back as well.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Ann said gesturing everyone, "Let's get inside."

Before Sakuno could ask more questions, she had been ushered inside. Once inside, she couldn't stop praising the simplicity of the house. She had to admit that missing the old house was actually in her system. They went to the garden and saw the tennis captain of Fudomine sitting at the veranda.

"Nii-san, Sakuno-chan is here." Ann announced to her brother.

Tachibana Kippei stood up and looked at them not missing to give her a smile, "I am glad to be of your host, Miss Ryuzaki."

Sakuno blushed as she flailed her hands, "I-ie… p-please no need to be formal," She tried to explain and later looked down, "I—I actually don't know why I am here…"

Everyone looked at her with a curious look on their faces. Seeing no one answered her she tried asking them once again;

"W-why am I doing here? O-oishi-senpai said that I'll see Obaa-chan today? W-what's going on?" she was definitely confused but feeling a bit anxious about everything. She was still worried even though she was with the people inside the mansion but seeing her friends and senpais right now was a big sin that she had made.

"Shinpai na, Ryuzaki-chan," Fuji tapped her, "We will just borrowing you for a while. Everything is planned so don't worry. They will never know that you had been gone for a short while."

"R-really?"

Momo answered her this time, "You bet ya!" then looked at Ann afterwards giving her a thumps up, "Right, Tachibana no Imouto."

Ann blushed when she heard the way he called her, "I have a name you know, it's Ann! Ann!"

"You are right," Momo said as he scratched his head, "Tachibana no Imouto."

"Mou you—" She sighed as she looked away and then returned her attention to Sakuno, "Well, let's not waste time, we should let you get changed."

"G-get changed?" She repeated. Tomoka was just behind her still ushering her to go inside.

Kippei talked this time, "We need you to disguise to avoid attention from the crowd. Good thing that you managed to come here despite your noticeable get up."

"Tachibana-san's right, nya!" Eiji said, "Now off you go. OOPPP must not fail." He gestured her with his hand.

"O-OOPPP? W-what's that?" She blinked as she looked behind her shoulder.

"OOPPP is Operation-"

"Well, we should go inside now, shall we?" Tomoka said pushing her further to the room ignoring Eiji's explanation about their mission.

She looked at herself afterwards and thought that he was right. From what she was wearing, it was noticeable for her to be seen and get attention from someone who would see her. Even though she didn't want it, she became an instant popular figure in Japan. In the end, she nodded and followed Ann and Tomoka to the room.

* * *

**Five Minutes Later:**

Kamio and Momo were arguing due to nonsense things when she went out from the room along with Ann and her best friend. The bickering frenemies version two looked at her and had their jaws drop.

Sakuno was wearing a Fudomine uniform just like what Ann had been wearing all the time, a white blouse and a black skirt that was knee level. Her hair was braided into two pigtails like before. She missed being a Junior high student because of that. Momo recovered first as he approached her;

"Gee, Ryuzaki-chan, you looked good at their uniform."

"Of course," Kamio agreed but he wasn't finished yet, "We would mind if she decided to come to Fudomine and study there next time."

Momo retorted at his words, "Huh, she will be coming back with us and definitely study at Seigaku. There's no way she would be staying there."

"What did you say?"

"I just said it."

Sakuno sweat dropped as she watched them bicker. Old habits died hard per say.

"Mistress, we only have less than ten minutes to see your grandmother," Fakir said who was holding Capella in his hand while leaning at his watch to his left, "We need to move on."

"Don't worry," Momo who had heard what Fakir said looked at them and temporarily forget about the fight with Kamio, "Just leave everything to me."

* * *

**Later on;**

They eyed it, the two-wheeled vehicle that was resting in front of them. Blinking their eyes twice, thrice before Kamio asked him;

"Are you sure that you will let Ryuzaki-san ride that?" he said unsurely.

Momo replied with proud, "Of course."

"Is it safe?" Kamio asked once again.

Momo looked at him and retorted, "Of course it's safe, what do you think of my bike for?"

Kamio looked back at him, "She is just the only one who is going to ride that!"

"Yeah! And do you have a problem with that?"

Before their fight could get worse, Fuji interrupted them, "Guys, stop fighting, you are wasting Ryuzaki-chan's time. She should meet with her grandmother as soon as possible."

Everyone nodded as Sakuno only looked at them. Fuji looked at her and said, "You should get on with the bike now Ryuzaki-chan."

"H-hai," She was about to walk at the back of the bike as Momo was already at the pedal when someone tugged her skirt. She looked at the worried face of the young boy below her. Giving him a smile, she bent to her knees to level his height and hugged the boy, "I'll see you in thirty minutes, okay."

Understanding the words, a smile crept to his face and hugged her back, "Hai! I'll be waiting for you Onee-chan."

After a temporary farewell between them, she looked back at the people who were going to be left behind, "T-tachibana-san, Ann-chan, Kamio-san, Fuji-senpai, Kimumaru-senpai, Fakir-san and Ahiru-chan," she looked at each of them, "Everyone… thank you."

Ann smiled at her said, "Stop being a dramatic girl… it doesn't suit you."

She chuckled a little as she nodded.

"Good luck, Ryuzaki-chan," Eiji said, "OOPPP is coming to an end."

"OOPPP?"

Before Eiji could answer her, Fuji interrupted and said finally giving her the meaning, "It's what we called in this mission so better see you grandmother today. Do not miss this one opportunity, okay."

Tomoka approached her and kissed her cheek, "I'll miss you again. Mou, Sakuno why do you always have to leave."

She smiled shyly at her, "Gomen ne, Tomoka-chan. I"ll make it up to you someday," Then she held her hand afterwards, "Thank you for everything."

She grinned at her, "As long as it's you," She said earning a blush from her, "Now go and see your grandmother. Take care okay."

She nodded at her.

"Go… now." Kippei said eyeing Momo as long as Tomoka distanced herself away from the bike.

"If something bad happened to her on your way," Fuji looked at him with his eyes closed but was giving him the creeps as he continued, "No one knows what _someone_ will do to you."

"I—I get your point. I'll take good care of her," he sweat dropped, "We'll be going now," He gave a quick glance to the Tachibana siblings before pedaling away and said, "Sankyuu Tachibana-san, thanks Ann!"

With that they flew. Kamio retorted as they looked at them leave, "W-why he only bid goodbye to the two of you?" he looked at Ann and was shocked when he saw her blushing, "H-hey, why are you blushing?"

"H-he… just called… me." She stuttered and that was so not her.

Kamio reacted at her expression. Fuji looked at them and smiled to himself. He studied his watch and thought. _Less than 8 minutes. If Momo could ride the bike faster, they will get there exactly at…_

**xxx**

"Ryuzaki-chan, you have to hold on tight."

"E-eh?!" she said gripping his shirt behind him.

"Now!" He pedaled fast as the bike wheeled faster. Sakuno yelped as she suddenly wrapped her arms to his waist and leaned her face at his back, closing her eyes in the process. Momo pedaled fast as she could feel the wind to her face and to her braided pigtails. As she stayed at the position, she finally adjusted to the speed of the bike but she wasn't able to open her eyes. Now she waited for their next destination and she hoped that it would be so soon.

* * *

**Last Two minutes before the mission ends:**

She didn't notice that they stopped at certain point. Her eyes were still closed and her arms were tightly wrapped at his waist like she was depending her life on it.

"…Took you so long to get here, Momo-senpai."

Her eyes were snapped opened when she heard _his _voice. She looked at the direction where the voice came from.

And _he_ was there.

…Leaning on the wall… at the entrance gate of Seigaku while drinking _his_ ponta.

Blush suddenly came to her as she stared at _him_ who was staring intensely at her. Then, _he_ walked slowly at them and approached at the back where she was sitting.

"You know you can let go of him now," _he _said eyeing her arms that was still wrapping at Momo's waist. Somehow, she saw him twitch as she thought that _he _didn't like the scene.

"R-right," She said as she looked down while slowly untangling her hold from Momo.

"Geez, you don't have to be so jealous, you freak." Momo retorted, "We need to get here fast so that she can have time to be with her grandmother."

"Che," _he_ said and the looked away, "You don't have to tell me that," _he _then looked back at her and offered her _his_ hand, "Let's go."

Sakuno nodded as she shyly placed her hand to _him_. As long as she stepped her feet on the ground, her eyes took notice of two figures running at the entrance gate. She gave them a genuine smile as she let of _his_ hand and ran to her side.

"Obaa-chan!" she hugged her grandmother and squeezed herself to her, "Obaa-chan… I missed you… a lot." And this time, she didn't hold the tears that she kept all the time.

"Me too, Sakuno, me too." Sumire said hugging her back as she too, couldn't hold her tears.

Three pairs of eyes stared at their small reunion but brought a lot to them. They respected their moment as they hadn't seen each other for too long. She gave a little glance at Sumire's back and saw the Tennis Captain and smiled. Tezuka nodded at her giving her enough attention by simply doing that.

After a series of seconds, they released each other.

"My, you looked good… and prettier than before." Sumire teased as she placed a hand to her cheek.

"M-mou! Obaa-chan, stop kidding around." She blushed as she looked down. Sumire had wiped her tears away.

"But I am right, right?" She teased more as she looked at the two players in front of them. Momo didn't deny that fact and nodded while _he _pinned his hat down.

They kept silent after that.

"Stay strong Sakuno, okay," Sumire reminded her, "And stay safe for us who worry about you."

Sakuno nodded, "Hai… please do the same thing for me."

"We will… don't worry." Sumire smiled.

They hugged once again and lasted for the remaining seconds until a car suddenly appeared in front of them. They looked at the people inside and were shocked to see Yumiko, Fuji, Fakir, Ahiru and Capella inside. Fuji went out and approached the grandmother and the granddaughter who were released themselves from hugging;

"I don't want to ruin your reunion but we need to be aware of the time," Fuji said, "Ryuzaki-chan, it's time for you to go back now."

She felt sad when she learned that but she had to go for their safety. She silently nodded before hugging her grandmother for the last time.

Sumire kissed her forehead and patted her head, "I'll see you soon okay."

"H-hai."

Fuji gestured her to the passenger seat and settled her there. Fuji leaned in to look at the driver's seat, "Sorry for the trouble, Nee-san."

Yumiko nodded at him, "Don't be. I am glad to be of help."

Fuji smiled at his sister and then to her, "Take care, okay."

"Hai…" She looked at him placing her hands at the window pane, "Thank you for everything. I-I'll definitely remember this."

Fuji smiled at her and suddenly walked away only to be replaced by _him_. She blushed instantly as soon as _he _put his hands on top of hers and leaned pretty closer at her;

"I'll definitely see you again, so wait for me… after the French open."

Her eyes were wide, her lips were slightly opened, and holding her breath like she didn't know and her blush didn't leave either. Seeing that she couldn't reply _he_ continued;

"I'll always keep my promise, so better keep yours." _He_ said squeezing her hands more earning her to gasp and more blushes.

She bit her lower lip to avoid from crying again but she nodded, "H-hai… I promise…" that was almost come as a whisper.

"Just kiss her already!" They could hear Momo teased them not far from them. _He_ looked at _his_ side as _he _made few curses from _his_ senpai.

"Stupid senpai." She had the time to look at _him_. She noticed that there was a faint blush on _his _cheek that made her smile for an unknown reason.

She wasn't prepared when _he_ looked back at her and gave her quick peck on her forehead. She blushed really hard this time. Even though it was quick, they still saw it earning more teases from them. But _he_ ignored them while _he_ said _his_ next words;

"I'll give you a proper one once we get back." It was only a whisper but _he_ made sure that it was only her that heard what _he _said.

Not taking the stare any longer, she looked down. Her heart was beating really fast at that moment. Seriously, when _he _said something_ he _would definitely do something to make it come true. And she couldn't stop her blush because of that. She felt _him_ squeeze her hands once again making her look at _him._

"I'll see you… very soon." _He_ said staring straight at her eyes.

"Sorry guys but we need to go," Yumiko said as she started the engine. It brought tremble inside signaling that the car was ready to leave.

Sakuno looked at _him_ for the last time and said everything that she wanted to say to _him_, "H-hai… I'll see you soon. I promise you. I—I'll be supporting you while you are competing for the French open. I'll definitely be waiting for you to come back," she said as fast as she could. She knew that _he_ understood her. The car slowly moved but _he_ wasn't letting go of her one hand. She had to say one more thing;

"Thank you… thank you very much… Ryoma-kun."

Their hands got separated after that. Their eyes locked up at each other and not leaving each other's stare until they couldn't see either of them. For the last time, she gave her feelings to him and he could feel her there. He knew that she would be waiting for him to come back. Besides, two weeks was not that long for her to wait for him and he could win the game easily. He looked back at them and saw their smirk on their faces even Tezuka had one… almost.

"That was quite a show, Echizen." Momo tugged him as he approached him.

"Che." He ignored him as he closed his eyes. He knew that Fuji and Sumire were smiling at him as well while Tezuka was just looking at him.

"Thank you very much, Echizen," Sumire tapped his shoulder after a series of teases, "I've seen my granddaughter today."

He pinned his hat down this time before replying, "Un."

"Well, tomorrow is the big day," Fuji said catching everyone's attention, "Shall we take you to the airport now? They are probably there at that moment."

He looked at the tensai and nodded. Remembering that it was also his departure that morning that he needed to make their little reunion a bit faster, he still needed to prepare himself for the tournament tomorrow. They were not worrying that they would encounter with the girl again at the airport as they knew that once they got back there, she would probably go with the provided vehicle for her and took her to her home. Sighing as they walked ahead of him, he stared where the car disappeared to; he gave the road a tiny smile before following the rest;

_Until we meet again._

**xxx**

They were on their way back to the mansion as they were inside the limousine. Capella was lying on her lap, sleeping while Fakir and Ahiru were sitting across her. Her sight was focused outside as they thought what happened that morning. The morning had just started but a lot had happened to her.

She saw everyone.

She saw the regulars.

She saw her friends.

She saw Tomoka.

She saw her grandmother.

…and.

She saw Ryoma.

She didn't know when they would be seeing each other again. Although, two weeks was fast and even though he promised, she still didn't know if he would find ways to see her after that.

She was strictly locked up in the mansion as she remembered and the security was taken care of. But she still hoped she could see him like he promised.

She believed in him anyway.

Being a Kitazawa didn't stop her from seeing her family… at Seigaku. Being an heir didn't stop her from choosing of who she was. There were times that she had given up but it was always Ryoma who brought the hope up to her and she was very thankful of him. Even they would not see each other; she had ways on how to see him herself.

…The French Open tournament.

He would be playing there and she would see his moves, his reactions and his skills and even his infamous catchphrase that she admired the most. She would support him at all cost and would probably call him at times. Closing her eyes as she thought of those things about the boy that she loved the most, a smile appeared on her face as she only thought of one person.

…_Until next time._

**~Tsuzuku~**

* * *

**Done! This is the last chapter of my Crystal Teardrops. But as you can see, the story is not finished yet and yes there will be a sequel of this story and more RyoSaku moments to come in the future. More intimate moments will come as it will continue with the next saga. Chris and Milfie haven't returned yet, the real culprit wasn't caught and they haven't revealed their real feelings yet. A LOT hasn't happened yet. The sequel will be posted in less than two months from now. For the meantime, Crystal Teardrops will be replaced by an Omake story… I will just surprise you next week okay.**

**For the last time, if you want me to remind you about the sequel, please leave a review for the finale. It would be better if you have your own account so that I can PM you about the sequel update. If not, feel free to be interested with the omake that I was about to post next week so that I can give you an update too. Really a word or two is enough for me. Thank you for sticking with me all this time.**

**I love you very much.**

* * *

**As promised, I will be giving you the profile of the people that I borrowed from different anime. (Some characters' ages are not the same as in their animes)**

**Crossover characters profile: (In order of Appearance)**

**Capella**

**Age: 5 years old**

**Appearance: Large blue eyes, hair is light ginger**

**Personality: Capella has a childish personality. He is always cheerful and happy most of the time and often plays games. He is also easy to tears because of his age and easily gets hurt. He easily gets attached to people who are around him. **

**Fakir **

**Age: 17 years old**

**Appearance: Has long dark green hair tied into a low pony-tail. Has olive-colored skin and dark green eyes.**

**Personality: He was a man with few words at first but that changed since he discovered Ahiru's secret. He's still stoic at times and thought things twice before doing something risky.**

**Ahiru Arima**

**Age: 17 years old **

**Appearance: Bright-orange hair that is braided. She has blue eyes and light tan skin. Her face has freckles but that feature makes her cute in her own way.**

**Personality: She is originally clumsy and talkative. She is still clumsy at times. She has a crush on her Mistress' Bodyguard but wasn't able to tell him, like she has the courage to tell him at all. But the situation right now drawn her and him together and have mutual understandings.**

**Christopher Von Lloyd Finsbury Kishida (I am sorry that I got mixed up with the last two surnames… so much for the long name, I will never do that… ever again.)**

**Age: 17 years old (in the Funny komiks, he was only 8 years old. At a young age, he was pretty stubborn and a spoiled brat)**

**Appearance: He has a messy blonde hair that suits him and blue eyes. He has the skin of a noble as he is… obviously… one.**

**Personality: He is stubborn and a spoiled brat to everyone. He becomes different when it comes to Sakuno. He often shows jealously to Ryoma that ends up hurting her one time. His simple obligations towards her because of the arranged marriage has become into love as the story progresses. Now, he and Ryoma have a rival competition for the girl's love.**

**Milfeulle Sakuraba**

**Age: 16 years old**

**Appearance: She has long pink hair ****that was loosen on its back and is wearing a hair band featuring two flowers on both sides of her ears.**

**Personality: She is really cheerful and has almost the same attitude as Eiji exclude his acrobatic skills. His teammates even consider them as a comedy duo because of their tandem. Well, the golden pair is still the unique one. She was in love with her half-brother first but eventually fell in love with Eiji after some time.**

**Teito Klein (Wahrheit Tiashe Raggs)**

**Age: 22 years old (He's only 15 years old on wikia source)**

**Appearance: Has brunette hair and green eyes.**

**Personality: He was originally known as a guy with few words. When he met Ryoma and Sakuno once, he started expressing himself. He had no recollection of his past and he slowly regained them as Fakir and Ahiru helped him recover. He discovered that he was already married to a girl named Ouka. **

**Ouka Barsburg**

**Age: 22 years old **

**Appearance: Has yet to discover.**

**Personality: Has yet to discover but it is revealed that she gave birth to Capella at such young age. She gave birth at 17. **

**So there you have it, the important characters from the story and their ages. I didn't include the others like Drosselmeye, Meyers and Rose who only appeared once but she will appear again in the next story. A new crossover character will be introduced at the sequel soon.**

* * *

**Recap;**

**Sakuno's life at Kitazawa's:**

**She has private tutors' at all academic subjects, singing and dancing lessons. Has never have the chance to go outside without bodyguards. She doesn't have friends except a five year old boy and her personal maid. Her life is like any rich person in Japan but she is not the spoiled one. One that is unexpected for her is that she has a fiancé and their marriage has yet to announce… and she is worried about it.**

**Kitazawa's real child:**

**The couple trusted Sakuno's parents of their own child 16 years ago but due to an unexpected ambush, they got shot at their own house causing the child die and Sakuno's mother in a critical condition. When the rich couple heard about the news, they were very furious about it. Reinja make a deal with Sakuno's father that he would save her mother in the condition that they will take Sakuno away from them. Her father begged to keep her until 16 years and made a contract about it. Sumire saw and heard everything and didn't have a choice but to follow.**

**The assult:**

**The mysteries start at Sakuno's birthday when someone shoots a silencer gun to her direction. Ryoma notices this and saves the girl in the nick of time. They find out about the shooting that it has to do with the inheritance that she can possess in the future. Reinja, her foster father reveals that he has two step-brothers; Verloren and Micheal. They are actually the rightful owners of the inheritance only they do not meet the qualifications their father is asking; only Reinja does. Jealousy appears from the two and slowly disappears without a trace. The search begins to avoid any more serious damage. With the help of Seigaku and Hyotei, they slowly learn the mysteries one by one. **

**~ They learned about the heir between two brothers, Micheal's daughter to be exact. They also learned that the daughter has a child making the child the true heir.**

**~ They probably thought that one of them was trying to kill Sakuno just to get the inheritance by themselves.**

**~ Sakuno was forced to go to Memphis, Tennessee to hide from the culprit, but no to avail. An incident happened just like the last time on her birthday. Meyers, an A-rank shoulder saved her causing his arm injured in the process. She fell on the cliff and met a friend for five whole hours.**

**~ The group was divided into three groups to go to different countries. One to Azerbaijan, one for Greece and one for America making a RyoSaku reunion. **

**~ Clues are delivered just to give them hints when to attack next.**

**~ Eiji was involved in an accident making him comatose for two months. Sakuno was oblivious of his accident until he woke up.**

**~ The learned from Eiji's information that the real culprit was really at Verloren's side. All they have to do was to find the person behind Verloren's stamp and make a move before him. **

**Fakir and Ahiru:**

**Ahiru has secrets to hide and it is slowly revealed to Fakir because of the latter's persistence. At first, she tells him about her being adopted by her master that died years ago and is being replaced by a crueler master which is happens to be her previous master's son. She has been keeping a five year old boy because of a friend's promise. Because of that, her recent master who has taken a liking to the real mother of the boy; began punishing her just to keep the boy from harm.**

**Her real master these days is Meyer's and the boy in her care is Capella.**

**The only people who knew the true heir are only Fakir and Ahiru, with the latter's proven information.**

**Teito and Ouka are Capella's parents. Teito had no recollection of his past, they just made him remember some… with the help of Ahiru almost doing that part. She knew him well because of her friend, Ouka.**

**Ouka had saved Ahiru's life from hunger and losing hope and took care of her. They became friends and shared secrets with each other. Ouka is actually the daughter of Micheal, the person that Seigaku and Hyotei were looking for. No one knew yet of this as well. Ahiru begged to keep the information for a while even Teito asked to search for his wife alone. The young boy had started looking for his wife and his whereabouts was still unknown yet.**

* * *

**There I tried my best giving the plot as possible as I could. If there are some things that you are confused about, just send me a message and I'll answer them but not the question that has yet to answer in the sequel. I hope this is not confusing enough. I promise to you that there will be no more mysteries and secrets that will complicate the story in the sequel. I'll probably edit this again when I remembered something that I missed writing here.**

**The sequel will be fillers with actions and dramas and moooore RyoSaku moments. I'll see you at the sequel… soon. An omake will be replaced this fic and believe you will be surprised if you look next week. ^_^**

**This is getting too long now. This was the longest chapter I ever wrote since I became a member of FFNet. (21 pages tee hee hee) Cheerio gotta go… ^_^**

**Thank you very much. Please leave a review… that will be my guide for the update of the sequel in the future. Review for the very last time…**

**Thank you putting this fic to your alerts, favorite and so on. I love you very much.**

_**~Her Tears still drop like clear as crystal~**_

_**See you soon - MitsukiJunko**_


End file.
